The Fire Dragon Prince
by Angryhenry
Summary: Adopted from Natsu Vi Korusaki. People can change over time, but if you don't keep a close eye on them, you will never catch up to them. Is Natsu that arrogant prick he once was? Or is he better than that? T Natsuxharem. I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL, Hiro Mashima does. Rated M for Blood, Nudity, and Swearing. I WILL NOT write lemons.
1. Where It All Begins

**«Chapter 1»**

"Human Dialogue" **"Dragon/Demon/Monster Dialogue"**  
'Human thought'  
 **'Dragon/Demon/Monster Thought'**

Natsu Dragneel is a young Dragon Slayer mage who looks a normal 12 years old with pink spiky hair and black eyes in a red long sleeve button down, brown pants shoes, and a white scaly scarf. Trained and raised by the true King of Dragons, not the fake ass self-proclaimed Dragon King Acnologia, he was looking to finally get a family, something he truly wanted after Igneel's disappearance on July 7, X777.

But after being raised by a dragon for most of his life he didn't know how to communicate with people, often choosing to communicate with his fists instead. He even thought that he himself was a dragon. So walking through the streets of Magnolia with the guild master of Fairy Tail; Makarov Dreyar. Makarov is an extremely short old man, with black eyes and a thick white mustache. He is wearing a plain white t-shirt with a black fairy tail guild mark in the middle, with an orange hoodie that matches his blue and orange striped jester hat. He has orange shorts, black socks, and brown clown shoes (?). Natsu felt excitement fill his little heart he would finally get a family that he had always dreamed of, he would get loved by his very own kind.

"Natsu, my boy!" Makarov called out trying to get the attention of the young slayer, which did snap the boy's gaze away from the guild doors, and to his future guild master.

"What's up Old man!" Natsu asked looking at the elder mage with a huge grin on his face showings his sharp oversized canines.

Makarov let out a sigh he was never going to get the pinkette to show respect. " Why don't you open the door and see what your new family is going to be like." He saw the look of happiness flash in the pinkette's eyes,' Natsu I truly believe that you will be everything that Fairy Tail stands for.' Makarov thought while grinning back at the young slayer.

But for some odd reason, he couldn't help but feel that his instincts are telling him that something is going to go wrong. 'Whatever it is I hope that it's nothing bad.' Makarov thought silently praying to the 1st master of Fairy Tail, Mavis Vermilion.

Natsu pushed open the door and his jaw dropped along with Makarov at the sight of the Guildhall. It was chaos, tables broken in half, chairs overturned, and glasses flying everywhere. There were various spells being cast, the most noticeable ones were a demon take-over and an Ex-quip mage changing her armor while they threw insults at each other. The other mages stopped their own brawls and hid behind the remaining tables trying to get away from the two S-class candidates.

'Wow is this Fairy Tail!? Everyone seems like they're enjoying the fight', Natsu thought while looking at the mages in shock and awe, the Dragon Prince started feeling something bubble up in his heart, something that he hadn't felt since Igneel left him, hope.

Natsu turned to look at his "gramps" as he calls the 3rd master with anticipation and permission if he could join, but instead he saw the old mage turning an unhealthy shade of white while muttering "someone stop them they're going to destroy my guild"

When he heard that Natsu eyes immediately flashed with determination, he put his had on Makarov's shoulder and spoke with determination that made Makarov feel hopeful that he won't lose anymore jewels.

"Don't worry gramps I'll stop their battle and save the guild," Natsu spoke with his voice filled with conviction and determination. Makarov just nodded dumbly while looking at Natsu with worry, but before he could say anything he heard the two female rivals chant their spells.

 **[Soul Extinction]** , the white haired demon shot a blast of dark energy towards where her rival was.

 **[Sonic Claw],** the scarlet haired girl cut through the air sending her own blast of energy to intercept the attack.

Makarov cried out while crying anime tears, "No! Stop! My money!"

Almost everyone in the guild turned and saw their master on the ground kneeling, while crying for all the money he is about to lose. Most of the guild sweat-dropped when they heard their masters reasoning for crying.

But at that exact moment, nobody except for Laxus Dreyar and Gildarts Clive saw Natsu standing in the crossfire. 'That kid's fast, but can he actually stop them' Gildarts thought clearly impressed with the unknown pinkette.

While Laxus looked at the pre-teen with shock and excitement. ' This kid... his magical power is strong, almost as strong as my own.'

As the magical attacks approached Natsu, he coated his hands with red scales and hot golden fire. The two girls saw the Fire Dragon Slayer in the middle of the crossfire and yelled at him to get away, causing the others guild members to look at Natsu in worry and shock.

 ***BOOM*,** the explosion caused everyone to stare in fear for the pinkette, both the red and white haired mages ran to the center where the was smoke coming from, hoping the boy wasn't dead.

What surprised majority of the guild was the fact that Natsu was still alive and standing there with barely a scratch on him.

"W-what h-h-how I-is t-this possible!" Mira stuttered looking at Natsu with wide eyes, but at the same time, she felt like her pride was bruised because the boy in front of her stopped her most powerful attack. Mira has her white hair up in a pony tail, tied with some maroon cloth, and has a black buckled choker collar resting snuggly upon her neck. Shes wearing a black tank top with white decal, leaving her bare midriff exposed. She has black booty shorts with a white belt, coupled with thigh high heeled black boots. She truly looks stunning, one can only guess how she'll look as an adult, right?

"Hm! It's possible because I'm stronger than you two." Natsu smirked at her and Erza, the two female mages felt rage and hatred fill their bodies, making them want to kill the boy in front of them. Laxus having heard the boy smirked at the boy's attitude.

"Natsu! Thank you for stopping them. I owe you." Makarov walked to the pinkette and hugged him.

"Haha no problem gramps." Natsu grinned pushing the old mage off of him.

The guild finally got out of their shock and started firing questions at the pinkette non-stop. "Oi, pinky who are you? And what are you doing in our guild/" A spiky black haired stripping ice mage asked with a arrogant smirk. Gray has short black spiky hair. His fairy tail emblem is on his right pectoral, in Navy blue. And as the resident fairy tail stripper, he isn't wearing much. Just a pair of dark navy blue shorts...

"What type of fire magic was that?" Asked a short bluenette, who held a huge book in her arms, like a teddy bear, while a short white haired girl thought 'He's pretty cute'.

"Silence you brats!" Makarov yelled in exasperation.

Instead of letting the fire Dragon Slayer respond Makarov introduced the pinkette to his new family. "Everyone this is Natsu Dragneel! Our new family member." Everyone cheered except for Mira, Erza and Gray. Erza was still angry at him for stating that they were weak, even though he didn't. And Gray just didn't like Natsu, even though they had never met each other before.

-TIME SKIP-

When Natsu first joined the guild everyone was nice to him and treated him like family. After a month or so, his guildmates started showing their true colors, they started to get jealous of him and hating him. The adults hated him because the young dragon slayer was stronger than them, and since he was younger than them, that wounded their pride as a mage. The younger generation was no different they too hated him Cana hated him because Gildarts treated Natsu like a son, Levy hated him because Natsu was smarter than her **(A/N: this is most definitely not true)** , Jet and Droy hated him because Levy didn't like him, Gray just hated him for some unknown reason, Erza hated him for being stronger than him and always getting into fight with everyone, Mira hated Natsu because he was a better fighter than her, and he was best friends with her younger sister, Lisanna, and that just made Mira jealous, now whether she was jealous of how close Natsu was to Lisanna, or vice versa, nobody quite knew. Elfman hated him because he was a manlier pre-teen man.

The only ones that truly treated him like family were Laxus, who Natsu saw as an older brother, Makarov who saw Natsu as a grandson, Gildarts who treated Natsu like he was his own flesh and blood because Gildarts had never had a son or daughter that he was aware of, not to mention he also got bragging rights and always bragged how powerful his "son" Natsu was. And Lisanna, his quote unquote wife, who fell in love with Natsu, and Happy who was both Lisanna's and Natsu's surrogate son.

Even before Happy's birth, people in the guild had called Natsu a liar for saying that Happy was going to be a dragon and always made fun of him whenever he talked about the fact that he was raised by Igneel. Natsu had slowly gotten used to the taunting and hateful gazes of his so called family. Everything was going fine, until the day Lisanna died.

Natsu was walking to the guild in his normal red long sleeve buttun up, and brown pants, along with his white scaled scarf, which was the last thing Igneel ever gave him.

"Natsu, Lisanna is probably there already, so let's hurry up!" Happy whined while pulling Natsu's black shirt.

Natsu chuckled and shook his head amusement, "Fine, fly me to the Guildhall then"

"Aye Sir!" Happy responded having white angle wings popping from his back. Happy picked Natsu up with his tail and flew over to the Guildhall using _Max Speed_.

The first thing our favourite dynamic duo noticed, even before they kicked open the doors, was the sound of crying and the smell of tears that permeated the air.

Natsu and Happy saw everyone looking crying while Mira and Elfman were sitting in the guild floor crying. Natsu had a sick feeling in his stomach because he could find Lisanna.

"Pops where's Lisanna?" Natsu asked Gildarts who was also crying, and trying to control his crash magic.

"Natsu *Hiccup* she *Hiccup* died*Hiccup* on *Hiccup* the *Hiccup*mission." Mira cried out, when Mira said that Happy started crying as he too fell on the ground dropping Natsu who fell on his knees.

Natsu felt like his heart was being stabbed by multiple knives and tears started to pour out if his eyes.

"Who did it." Natsu's broken voice made everyone look at him in shock to see the happy-go-lucky dragon slayer they despised crying, which surprisingly, didn't make the guild feel any better.

"What do you mean?" Erza asked harshly while glaring at Natsu with hate. Erza has her hair tied back in a low pony tail, with her bangs covering parts of her face. She is wearing armor plates on top of a white long sleeved shirt, a white skirt held with a brown belt, and dark blue leggings. She also has a sword attached to her belt.

"I AM ASKING, WHO KILLED LISANNA!?" Natsu voice was filled with sorrow and rage. Fire exploding around him in a pillar, as he had lost control. The power in his voice made everyone excluding Gildarts and Makarov, drop to their knees in fright.

"I killed her! I thought that I could take-over the beast king, but he was stronger and he took over my body and killed her!" Elfman cried out while looking at Natsu, who looked downright terrifying. His normal black eyes were glowing red with tears coming out of them, what surprised everyone was that his pink hair was slowly turning black.

"What?!." Natsu hissed demonicly, making everyone flinch.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Elfman kept crying and apologizing to Natsu and Mira.

Natsu wasn't listening to the man in front of him so he lit his hands on flames and punched him.

"SHUT UP! Do you think Lisanna would have want any of you to cry and be this sad? No! she would have want you to be happy and m-move o-on." Natsu's words made everyone look at him in shock before nodding and agreeing, a smile donning on their faces. Lisanna would have wanted them to be happy and live the rest of their lives in happiness.

The previously pink haired dragon slayer went outside the guild and started walking to straw hut Lisanna had made when Happy was just an egg.

"Natsu!" Natsu heard someone call his name, he turned around, only for a white blur to crash into his chest, which he quickly realized was Mira, crying her pretty blue eyes out eyes out.

"Mira" Natsu breathed out. Looking at the white haired beauty, who he had fallen for. Yeah she was mean to him, but lets be real here, she was mean to everyone, and he knew she never meant it anyways.

"I'm so sorry Natsu, for everything!" Mira cried out, Natsu didn't respond instead he got up lifting Mira up with him to his and Lisanna's hut and laid her down on to the mat and walked out, and started making Lisanna a tombstone.

After an hour of hard work Natsu finally finished and placed on the side of the straw hut. Mira had walked out and had been watching Natsu build the tombstone until he finished.

"Natsu." Mira said softly to the black haired dragon slayer next to her.

"What's wrong?" Natsu asked,

"I am sorry Natsu, for everything that I have ever done to you." Mira looked Natsu in the eye, with tears forming in her own.

"Huh, Mira you have never done anything bad to me so what are you apologizing." Natsu asked tilting his head in confusion. While Mira just looked at him in shock and had the feeling that she would never admit to having for anyone other than her precious siblings... love.

"Mira, I should be the one apologizing for hitting Elfman, I am so sorry I let my angry get the best of me it is unsightly of a Prince to act like that." Natsu said in a serious tone while bowing his head a little.

Mira looked at him in shock, 'we've been taunting and making fun of a Prince!?'

"Wh-how-what! Your a Prince?! Why didn't you tell anyone!" Mira shouted at the ebony haired mage.

Natsu sweat dropped, " I've been saying this since day one, that I am a Prince of dragons. Igneel is the Fire Dragon of Destruction and he is also the King of All Dragons."

"What the hell! I thought you were lying!" Mira yelled embarrassed.

"Meh, it doesn't matter anymore. When I find Igneel, maybe I'll introduce you to each other." Natsu suggested.

Mira just nodded her head.

"Anyways let's go back to the guild." Natsu stood up and reached out his hand to Mira, who took it with gratitude and a serene smile on her beautiful face.

 **A Few Days Later**

A few days after Lisanna's death, Mira started to drift closer to Natsu, talking to him more. Most of the guild members were curious about what was happening between the two. It didn't help the fact that Mira's personality completely changed, smiling and laughing, wearing a dress...

"Natsu I'm going on a mission do you want to come with me." Gildarts asked Natsu showing him a 100 year quest. That caught everyone's attention!

"WHAT!" Everyone in the guild yelled for different reasons, Natsu wasn't completely surprised, Mira, Makarov and Happy were worried, the rest of the guild was jealous at the fact that a non S-class wizard got to go on a SSS-Class mission with their ace who is rarely even in the guild.

"What?! Why him!" Cana asked in shock and hurt.

"Oh, that's because I haven't taken Natsu out on any missions and he is basically the closest thing to a son that I have." Gildarts replied with pride in his voice. Gildarts has slicked back orange hair. He wears an armored cloak and carries around a brown satchel.

Cana looked down, trying her hardest not to let her tears fall. The fact her father still doesn't know about her existence while Natsu gets to be with Gildarts whenever the crash mage is around even though they aren't related whatsoever, it filled her up with rage and jealousy. All of the, was of course Natsu's fault.

"But that's a 100 years mission! And flame-brain isn't strong enough, I should obviously be the one to go!" Gray said pissed off that his rival is going to go on a SSS-Class mission with their ace.

"No I think Natsu's plenty strong, after all, The 6th wizard saint isn't weak in my opinion." Gildarts shot back.

"WWWHHHAAATTT?!" Everyone who didn't know that Natsu was a wizard saint in the guild yelled in surprise, thus causing the adults to feel even more jealousy.

"Dammit Gildarts! You weren't supposed to tell them that!" Makarov scolded Gildarts who just laughed and scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin on his face.

"Well, the the master can explain everything." Gildarts immediately latched onto Natsu's hand and run out of the guild in insane speed. The last thing the two saw was all the guild members were looking at their master expectantly. Once they left the city of Magnolia behind Gildarts stopped to take a breather.

"What the hell Pops?! What was that for." Natsu demanded, he was trying to ask Mira out on a date, but Gildarts just had to ruin it.

"Hehe, I didn't want to explain to the guild, and you know how boring explanations are." Gildarts immediately said and started walking with Natsu behind.

"*Sigh* What you said was true but I was so close to getting a date with Mira!" Natsu dropped to the ground crying anime tears, while Gildarts once again scratched the back of his head.

 **1 Year later**

 **(I'm gonna skip how the battle started and go straight to how the battle ended)**

 _Crushing Evil, Spreading the Truth: Empyrean_ Gildarts immediately sent a fist filled with crash magic on Acnologia's head causing the black Dragon to fly back to Natsu who was getting ready for the beast while in Dragon Force.

 _Hidden Destruction Fire Form - Crimson Lotus: Phoenix Destruction Blade_ **,** Natsu used his flames to propel himself forward in a spear made out of golden flames, Natsu shot right threw the Dragon's right shoulder severing it completely.

Acnologia bellowed in pain and started to fly away to fix himself.

"Hehe, that's pay back you son of a bitch." Natsu cursed while spitting blood from his mouth. Looking at the place where his right shoulder used to be Natsu remembered how he almost died by the hands of the Dragon.

" **Natsu.** " A deep and powerful voice said from above him. Natsu looked up to see his father Igneel in his full glory.

"I-Igneel h-help G-Gildarts." Natsu asked his father who just nodded his head and went to help the human.

" **Natsu get Acnologia's arm and drink the blood.** " Igneel commanded while he healed Gildarts with green healing flames.

Natsu didn't question his father why so he walked to where the arm laid, picking it up with his left hand, which was hard since Acnologia took his other arm. Natsu started to slurp the blood of the Dragon. Natsu didn't know how or why, but his magic power started replenishing even faster then when he ate fire, and it didn't stop. Natsu felt his magical container get bigger to the point where he could have easily gone up against Acnologia again and this time he would have won.

" **Good now Natsu bring the arm over here to me.** " Igneel said as he finished healing Gildarts up. Natsu did as he was asked and brought the arm to his father, Igneel touched the arm and had it burn in black flames.

" **Natsu eat the arm, then we'll talk**." Igneel said to Natsu who just sighed in relief and did as he was told and ate the arm.

After a few minutes of eating Natsu finished eating the arm, disgusted and appalled at the thought, and taste.

" **Ok now we will talk**." Igneel said slowly turning into a human form. Igneel's human form looked like an older version of Natsu with red hair.

"Alright where the hell did you go?" The blackette asked his Dragon father.

Igneel sighed, "I went to another dimension to take care of some stuff."

"What?! You can go other dimensions!" Natsu yelled in shock.

Igneel just laughed, "Of course I can! Did you forget that I am the king of alll dragons?"

Natsu smacked himself self in the face with his...right hand?

"Ahhhhhh! I have my hand back." Natsu screamed in surprise.

"I know, that was the point of eating Acnologia's arm." Igneel explained.

"Cool!" Natsu looked at his hand in amazement.

"Natsu I will need to go back to the other dimension I have something I need to finish up there. But I want you to promise take care of yourself and believe in your power."

Natsu nodded biting his lip so he wouldn't cry.

He was brought into a hug by Igneel, " Another thing I need to tell you is that now you have access to the 2nd stage of Dragon Force, to get to the 3rd stage you will need to kill a dragon, and for the 4th and final stage you will need to kill Acnologia." Igneel paused letting Natsu comprehend what he just learned.

"Also I will need to seal some of your magic power so you'll be directly below that human by a small margin in terms of your magical power. To get your magic back all you need to say is _Full Magic Release_. And to reactivate the seal, just say _Magic Seal_." Natsu nodded his head. Igneel focused and placed his index and middle finger below Natsu's left eye. In a flash, there was a black tribal dragon tattoo under the teenage Dragon Slayer's eye, which slowly began to fade after a few minutes.

"Alright, dad! I'll do it, I'll kill Acnologia and make you proud!" Natsu said while pumping his right fist in the air.

Igneel chuckles at his son's antics and ruffled his pink hair which Igneel managed to bring back through the sealing. 'You already have Natsu...'

"Natsu I'll send you back to Fairy Tail so you can replace this human left arm," Igneel said while looking at Gildarts.

"Alright, dad thanks," Natsu said as he lifted Gildarts up and carried him on his back, Natsu then turned and looked at Igneel and nodded his head in confirmation.

 _ **Blaze Dragon King: Flame Transport**_ **,** Igneel casted the spell that teleported the two mages back to their guildhall.

When Natsu and Gildarts arrived at the guild, it had been around almost midnight, and only Master Makarov was still at the hall. He was in his office, with his lamp on writing apologies and signing bills because of all the destruction his careless brats caused.

Natsu immediately began running up to the masters office. Kicking open the door Natsu shouted, "Gramps we need to help Gildarts now!"

Master Makarov snapped his head and with his _Titan Magi_ c, took Gildarts away with him leaving Natsu to stay in his office.  
"Natsu go and take a rest, we'll talk about what happened during the mission when Gildarts wakes up!" Makarov yelled back to Natsu as he left.

"*Sigh* I better get back to my house." Natsu muttered as he walked out of the master's office, and back to his and Happy's house.


	2. Lucy, meet Fairy Tail!

**«Chapter 2»**

* * *

 **-1 Year Time Skip-**

Natsu and Happy were walking around in the port town of Hargeon. Natsu had accepted a mission from the council to find Bora the Prominence, who is charged with kidnapping, slave brokering, and use of forbidden magic.

"Natsu~ are you sure that Boga is going to be in this town." Happy asked cutely messing up Bora's name.

"Yeah, I'm sure he's here." Natsu responded. He had been informed after accepting the request that the "Fire Prince" was reported to have been seen in the town of Hargeon, and since Natsu was most definitely not in Hargeon, it was worth checking out, not to mention the large population of girls in the Natsu Fan club.

"Alright if he's not here, then you owe me a million fish." Happy said with drool coming out of his mouth at the thought of a million fish being unloaded out of a magic mobile.

"Alright, if he is here then you won't eat a single fish for a whole month." Natsu dared. Happy looked like he was considering the pros and cons of Natsu's counter agreement.

"Hehe, I was just testing you Natsu. I have a feeling that Boga is going to be in this town." Happy lied while laughing, realizing that a month without fish is not something he could survive.

Natsu snorted in amusement, but didn't say anything and continued to walk around the town aimlessly.

"Kyyaaa!, it's the Fire Prince!" Natsu immediately tried to find a place to hide, if there's one thing that Natsu hates more than transportation, it's fan girls. The thought of those rabid, insatiable women scares Natsu more than looking at a train or a boat any day.

Natsu saw a blonde chick run past him saying "The Fire Prince! the youngest wizard Saint here? In this town?!"

"Ne Natsu why are all the girls crowding that weirdo over there if you are The Fire Prince?" Happy asked his best friend who was hiding behind a trash bin, periodically peeking around it to make sure there are no fan girls around.

Natsu peeked over the trash bin and saw a man with dark blue hair using charm magic and his moniker. The pinkette ran out of his hiding place and stomped towards the man in angry and punched him with one of his weakest punches. The said man was sent flying away.

"Hn, serves that fake." Natsu said walking away. But he couldn't get that far because he was attacked by a group of angry girls that were attempting to kick the life out of him, all saying that he hurt the Fire Prince.

Natsu was left sitting in a pile of garbage until he was approached by the same blonde girl that first ran past him.

"Hi I'm Lucy and thank you for saving me." The said blonde girl while blushing. 'Is he a god or something! No human can look this handsome and that pink hair and dragon tattoo makes him irresistible!' Lucy mentally shrieked like a fan girl after seeing such a handsome hunk. Lucy is a beautiful young woman, with cascading blonde hair, with a little side tail (A/N sorry, I don't know what it is called, if you know ill edit it!). Shes wearing a white sleeveless button up shirt, with blue outline, that shows off her large, succulent bust, thin waist, and large hips. She has a criminally short royal blue skirt, with a red belt, that holds her whip and gate keys.

Natsu got up and patted himself before looking at the blonde big breasted girl in front of him.

"Don't mention it, and I'm Natsu Dragneel, and this here is Happy." Natsu grinned a little while had a small blush on his face from checking the girl in front of him out.

'Hmmm, Natsu Dragneel where have I heard that name?' Lucy asked herself while looking at the pinkette, who was wearing 3/4 black pants with a cuff at the bottom, with a dark grey t-shirt, white scarf and black combat boots.

'Her tits are so big, and they look so soft.' Natsu shook his head to try and get rid of the perverted thoughts.

"Aye! I'm Happy, it's good to meet you Luigi!" Happy said while eating a fish.

"My name's Lucy not Luigi! HIIIEEE! the blue cat talked!" Lucy shrieked while pointing at the cute blue cat with a green backpack. Which made the two have an argument which lasted for a few minutes.

"He also has wings!" Stated Natsu with an ear-to-ear grin on his face.

"Aye Sir!" Shouted the flying blue bundle of joy, commonly referred to as Happy.

"Happy let's go eat. You can come with us if you want to Lucy." Natsu cut in to their argument because he felt hungry. Lucy nodded her head and said that she will go with them.

After a few minutes the trio found a nice restaurant and ordered their food and drinks. Soon after that Lucy started telling the Fairy Tail wizard's that she was a celestial mage and was hoping to join Fairy Tail in the future. 'Doesn't she know how to shut the fuck up.' Natsu and Happy thought at the same time while ignoring the blondes seemingly endless rant.

"Well anyway thank you for treating me to lunch and saving me Natsu, I hope I see you soon in the future." Lucy said, Natsu just grinned at her, she then walked out of the restaurant to a park where she started reading the recent Sorcerer Weekly.

But when she went to look at the most desirable male mage in Ishgar, she saw something that made her almost faint. It was a picture of Natsu along with a small summary about him. 'I thought I heard his name before! God dammit I can't believe I made myself look like a total idiot in front of him'.

 **Name:** Natsu Dragneel

 **Magic:** Re-quip, and Dragon Slaying Magic other magics are not known yet.

 **Alias:** Fire Prince, Salamander, and Dragon Prince

 **Rank:** 6th Wizard Saint, SS-Class mage

"Natsu Dragneel is the most desirable man in Ishgar. He is also the 2nd most powerful mage in Fairy Tail right below The 5th Wizard Saint and the master of Fairy Tail Makarov Dreyar, it has been confirmed that his magical power and skill match the Guild's Ace Gildarts Clive who is Natsu's adopted Father. This 17 year old mage claims to be raised by the strongest Dragon of all time; Igneel. We don't know if that's true but considering his record and how powerful he is, it is most likely true, but that's for you the readers to decide."

"Good job Lucy you just couldn't remember one of the strongest wizard in Fairy Tail! and now you can't join the guild." Lucy vocally insulted herself, making the people walking by her question her sanity.

Sighing to herself in Lucy flipped the page and looked at the thing Fairy Tail is most known for; destruction.

"Oh so your interested in joining Fairy Tail?" A creepy voice said behind her.

Turning around Lucy saw it was the fake Fire Prince.

"What do you want?" Lucy asked glaring at him while one of her hands were on her keys, just incase she wants to summon another pervert...

Putting his hand up in surrender the blue haired man spoke.

"Look I know what I did was wrong, but I just wanted some harmless attention."

Lucy's glare intensified.

"So using Charm magic is supposed to make you popular?"

"Wait didn't you say that you wanted to join Fairy Tail?" The man asked, changing the topic, hoping to lure the girl to his yacht later on 'a blond with a figure like that is bound to go for a fortune!'.

Lucy's anger instantly vanished, "Yes! it's been my dream to join the strongest wizard guild in Fiore!" She squealed while fangirling.

"Well I could get you in if you come to my Yacht tonight. But if you don't want to that's fine too." The man said starting to walk away. Lucy knew an opportunity like this only comes once in a lifetime, I mean, the best wizard guild must have some entrance requirements, right?

 **-Later that Night-**

"Did you hear that the Fire Prince of Fairy Tail is throwing a party at his Yacht right now?" A group of girls were talking to each other as they walked past Natsu and Happy.

That instantly grabbed their attention he was the only known Fire Prince in Fairy Tail, and he would never throw a party fuckin' boat, let alone own the very thing that scares him as much as trains. 'Oh no, that man that I punched this morning was Bora the Prominence! And the bastard was using my name to attract girls, while using charm magic to, well, charm them into falling for him. That means that the entire ship is going to be filled with slave dealers and capturing them would beneficial for the council, and even possibly raising the reward money'

Natsu then ran in front of the group of girls and gave them a charming smile. "Excuse me my beautiful ladies, but may I please have a moment of your precious time please?"

"NO! MY KEYS!" Natsu and Happy heard an all to familiar voice screaming from the ship.

"Never mind ladies! Have a good afternoon. Happy drop me on the yacht, and get Lucy far away from there." Natsu commanded his partner.

"But Natsu you have motion sickness, remember?" Happy commented.

"Don't worry about that buddy, I've got a plan." Natsu replied with his usual million watt grin. Happy didn't look too sure 'Natsu isn't really known for thinking things out' but still dropped his best friend on the ship. While Happy went in and grabbed with his tail Lucy, who once again yelled in shock that Happy has wings, never having believed they worked.

"Lucy, I have some bad news." Happy said in a grave tone, which made Lucy worried, she was almost kidnapped to be sold for slavery, and its going to get worse? really?!

"My magic has run out." Happy said has his wings disappeared and they fell into the sea. Lucy screamed curses at Happy while he was munching on a fish.

'Where in Ishgar did he get that fish from' Lucy hysterically thought while falling.

 **~SPLASH!~**

'Great now I need to find my keys.' Lucy thought while swimming, hoping to find her keys, and praying that they weren't carried off by the current.

'There they are!' Lucy saw the keys shining, caught on a rock. Lucy swam as fast as she could, feeling the air leaving her lungs, she grabbed the keys and went up to the surface.

 _"Open Gate Of The Water Bearer: Aquarius"_ **,** Lucy summoned the blue haired, big breasted Mermaid Celestial Spirit with an attitude.

The Celestial Spirit glared at Lucy," Tch, brat how dare you lose my key!"

Lucy paled and started apologizing to Aquarius. The spirit then told her to never lose her key again. Aquarius then sent a wave at Lucy, and luckily, the ship as well. The HUGE tidal wave sent Lucy and Happy comically careening into the pier, as well as the ship while Natsu stood at the helm waving at the terrified pedestrians with a huge smile on his face.

 **~CRASH~**

"What the hell Aquarius, I could've died!" Lucy yelled at her spirit furiously.

"Tch! Looks like I swept the boat up too, my bad." Aquarius glared at the blonde who for once didn't flinch.

"You know what?! I'm done with all of your bullshit! I would've been able to seduce Natsu and get into Fairy Tail but now look at me! My makeup is ruined because of you! I don't want a celestial spirit with an attitude like yours! You always complain about being called and never listen to me! You always make fun of me! The contract between the two of us is OVER!" Lucy and Aquarius both had a golden aura around each other, and Aquarius was teleported back to the celestial realm.

"Hey Lucy, can I have the fish lady's key if you don't want it?" Happy asked, Lucy just threw her previously owned key at the blue cat. 'I'll give this to Natsu then he will buy me fish.' Happy thought excitedly because he use the last bit of his jewels on that last fish he bought.

-With Natsu-

 _"Prominence Typhoon"_ **,** Bora said as he sent a typhoon (A/N sorry) of purple fire at the ship hoping to burn Natsu. But to his, and the other slavers surprise, the fire was being condensed to one point. The fire was being consumed by a pissed off Dragon Slayer?! 'How in the Hell...'.

"Hiiieee, B-Bora h-h-he real deal! he's the Fire Prince Of Fairy tail!" One of the slave dealers said while looking at Natsu in fear and shock. The other slave dealers heard that and instantly started running away.

"Oh you think your gonna get away from me, _Fire Dragons Roar_ **.** " Natsu shot out a stream of golden orange fire from his mouth, taking out the slave dealers and only leaving Bora alone and scared out of his mind.

"C-can we talk about this! I can get u money! Women! Anything you want!" Bora squeaked in fear while backing away from the pinkette, almost like a backwards crab walk?...

 _Fire Dragon's Iron Fist_ , was Natsu's response to Bora's plea,.Natsu punched him while holding back the majority of his strength so he wouldn't kill Bora, after all, the council request said "Alive". Lucy could only gape at what happened, Bora went flying in the air, and hit the bell that was on top of the church's tower, making it ring loudly. The church of course, was at least a mile away from the docks.

Soon the Rune Knights came and talked with Natsu, scolding him for the destruction caused to the pier and hesitantly gave him his reward. The trio then began the long walk towards Magnolia, and more importantly, FAIRY TAIL.

* * *

When they reached Magnolia Happy remembered something important, for once.

"Natsu if I give you this key, will you buy me lots and lots fish?" Happy asked hopefully while showing him a golden key, the same golden key Lucy just gave him, Aquarius. Natsu looked at the key in shock 'it was one of the 12 Zodiac keys!', while Lucy looked at the key with a distasteful look in her eyes, remembering all the snide comments and hurtful stares.

"Deal!" Natsu immediately said, he ex-quipped 120,000 jewels and gave it to Happy who gave him the key in return.

'This is awesome! I've gotta show Mira this key!' Natsu thought running to the guild leaving both Lucy and Happy following behind him.

Natsu burst through the door of the guild, ignoring all the hateful and jealous glares he was getting, the pinkette ran straight to the bar.

"Mira look! I finally have my second Zodiac key." Natsu said showing the white haired mage the key (A/N I'm thinking that maybe Natsu will have Ophiuchus in this AU, give me feedback on what you think about it!). Mira was looking stunning as always, With her beautiful heart shaped face, framed by her platinum blonde (?) hair. Wearing her ankle-length maroon dress with a pink bow on the bust, It showed off her perfectly round breasts that seemed to defy gravity, her thin waist and wide womanly hips. She truly was one of the most beautiful women in all of Fiore.

Mira giggled, "That's great Natsu! So I take it your mission went well?"

"Yeah I got 3 million Jewels for catching Bora! And since Bora wasn't the only slaver captured, I got a bonus of 500,000 jewels!" Natsu said grinning like a maniac. The members of the guild heard him and had their jaws comically dropped, anime style. 'What the fuck! That stuck up prick is weak! he doesn't deserve to be a wizard Saint! It's so unfair!' Most of the guild members were thinking while they were just shell shocked over the large sum of money.

Happy flew through the door of the guild, with Lucy running behind him, her huge tits bouncing, making every other warm-blooded male in the guild get a boner and a bloody nose 'Holy SHIT, did Natsu finally do something good with his useless life?!'.

"What the hell Natsu?! you just left me!" Lucy yelled at the pinkette angrily. Natsu just laughed and apologized and introduced Lucy to Mira.

"Its Mirajane! In the flesh!" Lucy Squealed.

Mira just smiled.

"So you want to join Fairy Tail?" Mira asked looking at Lucy with a stamp in her hand. Lucy's eyes lit up and nodded her head furiously.

"Okay, where would you like your guild mark? and what color?"

"Pink, and on my right hand please!" Lucy said stick her right out in front of her. Mira nodded and pressed the stamp on her hand.

"Welcome to Fairly Tail Lucy." Mira said, everyone started cheering for their new member and partied. The master soon came out of his office and joined them.

The guild once aging started brawling, Laxus and Natsu watched and talked from the S-Class floor, and the master joined them. By the time they were done talking about Lucy's breasts Natsu decided to leave. "See ya later Laxus-nii, Gramps." Natsu said maneuvering through the flying table and overturned chairs, taking care to step over the bodies that laid on the ground.

"Later Natsu." Laxus said.

"Natsu! Tomorrow you have a mission assigned by the council to eliminate a dark guild that goes by the name of Eisenwald, their is Ace is The Shinigami Erigor. The location is Onibus Town, and the reward is 14 million Jewels... be ready." Makarov said looking at the pinkette who just nodded and ran back to his house.

Once Natsu got to his house he decided to make his contract with Aquarius. Having stuck Aquarius' key in a glass of water, he chanted " _Open Gate Of The Water Bearer: Aquariu_ s". Aquarius is a beautiful Mermaid long aquamarine hair, held back by an ornate golden head band. She has a black tattoo on her collarbone, and her large bust barely held by a navy blue bra with white outline. She has golden bracelets adorning her arms that hold her magical vase. she has gold piercings on her blue mermaid tail, and a golden rope around her waist. She truly is a magnificent woman (?).

Looking at the young adult who called her Aquarius noticed the amount of power filling her veins, 'This is incredible! His magical energy, it's so strong! it's almost as powerful as Anna's!' Aquarius thought while looking at the dashing pinkette in front of her.

"W-who are you?" Aquarius asked Natsu with a pretty blush on her cheeks.

"I'm Natsu Dragneel, your new summoner."

"I see, so she really did abandon me." Aquarius muttered, sadness over taking her beautiful face, memories of the young girl she had watched grow flashing through her head.

'I see, her last summoner left her, it's better if I don't get involved.' Natsu thought respecting her privacy.

"So when can I call you?" Natsu asked, and smiling a little when Aquarius's mood changed.

"Whenever you like, handsome." Aquarius responded flirtatiously. 'I want to get a feel of this power every time.'

"Alright then Aquarius, I'll talk to you later." Natsu grinned while eyeing her breast. 'Fuck those look bigger than Lucy's.'

Aquarius caught Natsu's eyes stuck to her round, perky breasts and decided to have a little fun with him, transforming into a more human like figure, Aquarius put her arm below her breasts, and pushed then up.

"Ne, Natsu-kun, you like what you see?" She purred. Natsu's nose started pouring out blood. His face turned a deep crimson color, and fainted from blood loss.

"This will be interesting." Aquarius giggled looking at Natsu and flashed back to the spirit realm.

 **Hope you enjoyed the second chapter of "Son of The Dragon King" peace out till the next chapter. I have chapter 3 almost done, i'm gonna review it a few times, i'm trying to have every chapter over 2k words if possible, and i wanna see if i can stretch it out more. I plan to post chapter 3 next Saturday, the 24th. I'm sorry about the wait, but my main focus is school and work right now.**

 **There is a poll in my profile (?) asking if you want Ur to survive Galuna Island and join the harem! hope to see u there**

 **^ Im not sure how im going to have Natsu revive her, as in other fanfics, Natsu has more magic types than just fire dragon slayer magic.**

 **Any and all input is gladly accepted, if you notice any errors let me know, i do try to review each chapter at least 3 times, but nobody is perfect!**


	3. The Fall of Eisenwald

**Hello! Angryhenry here with Chapter 3 of the Fire Dragon Prince, Please read the End notes for story updates.**

 **I plan to upload at least 1 chapter a week, but after we get to the GMG arc I will need to catch back up on the anime.**

 **Enjoy the story!**

 **«Chapter 3»**

* * *

 **-Morning-**

Natsu woke up early in the morning to do his training warm up, which consists of 1500 push ups, 2000 curl ups, 500 pull ups with 200 pounds of weight on his hands and feet using a magic spell. Natsu Then runs 5 laps around Magnolia, and finishes off by running to Mt Hakobe, for magic training, since he can't train with fire magic in a forest... with trees that can burn down...

With the snow beneath his feet, the sun on his neck, and the cold bitter winds on his skin, he never felt it... Natsu tried to make his magical container larger by using all of the energy costing slayer moves. Like _Fire Dragons Secret Art- Blazing Fire Dragons Fist, Fire Dragon's Secret Art – Crimson Lotus – Exploding Flame Blade, Fire Drive,_ and _Crimson Lotus- Phoenix Blade._ Well not all of the costing moves, because he doesn't want to destroy another mountain, or all of Magnolia in a flood, nor does he want to die this day.

Natsu then gets himself ready for his mission to stop Eisenwald, wearing a red long sleeved shirt and black pants with his white scarf. Natsu headed to guild to eat. Whistling a merry tune, Natsu uses fire steps to get to the guild faster. Fire steps was a move that Natsu created during his training with Igneel. The casting mage only has to imagine the Fire in front of him and step into it, whilst controlling where you want the flame to go. **(A/N: Basically like Sanji's Blue/Sky walk and Geppo)**

Arriving at the guild Natsu kicked the doors open and looked around, there were less guild members around than usual. Team shadow gear, Vijeeter, Elfman, Erza, Gray and Lucy were all absent, most likely on jobs, given that it's 9 am. Of course Wakaba and Macao were trying to out drink Cana, and failing miserably at that. Mickey Chickentiger was in her bird form, standing on a table happily pecking at a bowl of seeds. Nab had finally chosen a job! just kidding, he's still there, looking for the right job. Reedus is painting a picture of Mira with a blush on his face, Sorry Reedus...

So Natsu walked in, and went over to the bar where Mira was watching the humorous drinking match between the trio.

"Good morning Mira!" Natsu said, with a happy smile on his face. Which quickly grew a blush when Mira returned an angelic smile of her own.

"Good morning Natsu, how was your training today? Destroy any mountains yet? She teased.

"Mira!" Natsu whined, "don't be mean!" Natsu was a pouting mess of cuteness in Mira's eyes, his pink hair as spicky as ever. Wearing an open black overcoat, which displayed his toned, muscular chest, which still had a little sweat on it... Trying not to drool, Mira tried to change the train of thought.

"So Natsu, what would you like to eat today?" Mira pleasantly asks, still trying not to look at his damn washboard abs...

"May I please have my usual?" Natsu politely asked.

"Coming right up! Mira giggled. She went to the back to start cooking his favorite meal; fire steak.

While Natsu waited, he looked around the guild, Mickey had decided to try and look for a messenger job **(A/N She is the bird who delivered the letter to Makarov about "Team Natsu" forming during the guild master meeting in canon. It was not a random bird),** Macao had been dragged out of his drinking game by Romeo, who was pestering his father about magic, like all children do... Wakaba on the other hand was still confident in his drinking, and was going steady, a little tipsy by the 5th? glass, but going strong. Sighing, he laid his head down on the bar top, patiently waiting for his meal, and trying to ignore the stares that came his way. it only took a few minutes for Mira to finish cooking his flaming fire stake, which she even served with a fire shot.

"Your the best! Thanks Mira! How much do I owe you?" Natsu exclaimed happily and started eating the steak while Mira giggled and blushed, happy that her crush gave her praise.

"Don't worry about it Natsu! it's my treat today, ok? Mira responded, with that angelic smile on her beautiful face, that made Natsu stare for a few seconds with a growing blush.

"Oh no! Is the food alright? Did i not cook it right?" Mira frantically asked, scared she made have made her crush sick.

Natsu swallowed and calmed her, saying "it's fine! I was just lost in thought",he was still blushing...

Mira giggled, "I bet THAT doesn't happen often!"

Natsu just sighed and took his shot.

By the time Natsu had finished his food, Wakaba had passed out, Cana was drunk as a skunk, Nab was still standing there, a hand on his chin, looking for the "Your leaving already?" Mira asked.

"Yeah, can you take care of Happy for the day? It's a pretty dangerous S class mission, and I don't want him to get hurt." Natsu said solemnly, 'I won't let her son die like she did, it's the least i can do to honor her..." Natsu almost cried remembering Lisanna, but he also remembered she would want him to be happy. So he smiled, even though he didn't feel it.

Mira smiled, "You didn't even need to ask."

"Haha thanks Mira!" Natsu laughed, running outside the guild the pinkette used Fire Steps to move even faster. Leaving the guild Natsu saw a familiar Orange haired man with a lady on each arm, Loke. Loke has Orange spiky hair, with stylish sunglasses, and a few piercings on his left ear. He wears a blush red coloured t shirt, with a crocodile green furred jacket, and Black cargo pants. He is Fairy Tail's resident playboy, and somehow manages to do A class jobs, and still have dates with 10 different women a week. 'How does he do it' Natsu thought. Loke had caught Natsu's stare, and turned around to walk away from Natsu, confusing his dates.

Sighing Natsu continued running to the outskirts of town. After an hour of continuous running and using his magic Natsu finally arrived at Oshibana, Oshibana is a small, friendly town. To Natsu it seemed that the main point of the city was the railway station, which constitutes as the central point of town. A Natsu enters the small city, he starts trying to use his nose to smell out the guild hall. He wasn't having much luck with that, at all. After accidentally entering a library, a magic mobile dealer, and having an awkward enounter in a bath house, Natsu is stumped.

"I don't understand what is taking so long!" Natsu growled, "I mean, I went everywhere that smelled evil!" Natsu hasn't learned that what he thinks is evil, is actually good. Anyways after an hour or so, Natsu finally found the Eisenwald guild hall.

"I knew i should have checked the outskirts of town" Natsu gumbled. The Eisenwald Guildhall is a moderately sized building made of stone surrounded by a forest of dead trees. Not wanting to be sneaky or hidden Natsu walked up to the guild doors and kicked it open making the double doors fly off their hinges taking out a few dark mages in the process. There were paintings on the walls, and table systematically placed around the hall, and they had no flooring, 'I guess that represent their evilness?' Natsu thought. He couldn't understand why people would stay in a place with a dirt floor...

The dark mages yelled in surprise and shock. Igniting his fists with golden fire, Natsu ran in and started to knock out all of his enemies, without even using any real attacks. After a few minutes of fighting the bodies of the dark mages were laying around the guild hall, majority of the members were unconscious with 2nd degree burns on their bodies.

Natsu tcked in annoyance, "The Shinigami isn't here! At least I hope not anyways, I was looking forward to a good fight." Natsu said out loud, purposely ignoring the groans and moans of the downed dark mages.

"Might as well wait for the Ace to arrive." Natsu then walked out the guild. "Ah man. Now I'm hungry." Natsu heard his stomach growl and started walking to the nearest restaurant he could find. After he got there, he literally ordered 7 of everything, The restaurant threw him out immediately, not wanting to serve him. So Natsu went to the next closest restaurant, and ordered 1 of everything, this was accepted, and he began to eat.

"Dammit hurry up! We have to stop Erigor like a MAN!" Elfman shouted his motto while running to the Eisenwald guild hall with Erza, Gray, Lucy and Happy following behind him. They had just gotten off the train, and Erza had "interrogated" many of the locals, until a teenager told her what she wanted fast enough. How lucky...

Only to find it infested with Rune Knights that had almost all the members of the dark guild in magical hand cuffs.

"Wh-what's going on here?" Erza asked a Rune Knights who happily answered their questions.

"Oh the great Fire Prince-sama caught all of the dark guild members that have been causing us trouble for a very long time." The Rune Knight said in awe when talking about Natsu.

"Really! Natsu's here! Yay!" Both Happy and Lucy cried out and started dancing because now they don't have to worry about Erigor, Natsu can take care of him, while the ice-make, take-over and re-quip mages grit their teeth in anger and annoyance it was THEIR job! how dare that failure of a dragon slayer (A/N Acnologia, Chapter 2) take something from them! And of course they never stopped to consider there might have been an ACTUAL job request for the stopping of the Eisenwald guild.

"Hahaha, so what, do you fairies think that you could still win!" Ergior laughed maniacally with a black haired man next to him who identified himself as Kageyama. He has his long black hair held back in a messy ponytail, wearing a black t shirt and a white jacket that has black script on the back.

"Of course we can there's 4 of us and only 2 of you!" Gray smirked arrogantly.

Erigor continued his laugh," No, there's now 50 of us...and 4 of you!" Erigor pointed at the Rune Knight that started to move like puppets.

"Actually there are 38 of you." Happy said proudly... but was ultimately ignored, like usual... I mean, talking blue cats tend to be overlooked, a lot.

"What happened to them!" Lucy asked in fear 'how strong are they?! If they can control the Rune Knights... I'm screwed! Nooo! I'm too pretty to die!'

"Hehe, that's my Shadow Control! It allows me to control people who are weaker than me!" The dark haired man said with a evil smirk. 'Well at least I'm stronger than him?' A certain sexy blonde thought.

"So your weaker than us! That's not very MANLY!" You can guess who said that. Gray then started laughing but was stopped by Erza who commanded them to follow Erigor who had been missing for the past two minutes.

"What about these guy?" Gray asked, looking around at all the controlled mages and knights 'Of course Erza wants to take them all on by her lonesome.' Gray thought 'She is too strong for her own good'.

" I can take care of it!" Erza said confidently. Internally she was more worried about what the strongest members of the dark guild would do without supervision.

"You know I'm here too." Lucy whined not wanting to be left out. She then realized she brought everyone's attention on to herself, and blushed.

"Of course I have Lucy here as back up." Erza added, the two males looked at each other, then they ran upstairs to find Kageyama and Ergior.

 _"Re-quip: Heaven's Wheel Armor"_ , Erza's outfit changed into a revealing silver armor. The Heavens Wheel Armor is very bird influenced, with most of the metal plates looking like feathers. She has a plated breastplate, that leavers her mid section wide open, with large plated gauntlets and boots. She has metal plates on her long skirt and a tiara on her head, with wings stylized on it. She truly looks like a Valkyrie, here to take a warriors soul to heaven.

'She's so beautiful' Lucy gaped, but not to be shown up...

 _"Open Gate of the Bull: Taurus"_ **,** suddenly a bull appeared carrying a double sided axe. "Mooo Lucy-san your boobs are amazing!" Taurus commented with hearts in his eyes. Taurus is a large bipedal white and black spotted cow, wearing a black pair of underpants (A/N sorry) with a gray belt, he has a yellow bell around his neck and a huge 2 handed axe on his back. Now call him a perv if you dare, but she does have a good rack.

"Taurus we don't have time for this right now." Lucy said pointing at the controlled Rune Knights.

"Anything for that Mooooving Boooody!" Taurus said as he started swinging his two handed axe at both knight and dark mage alike. 'Nobody is allowed to survie and attempt on Lucy's Beauuuutiful Booody' Taurus thought with a pervy grin on his face.

 **With Natsu**

'God damm the food here is so good ' The pinkette thought as he ate some noodles, if it weren't the 5 familiar scents that he had picked up near the Eisenwald guild hall, Natsu would have ordered more food, a lot more food.

Groaning in annoyance, Natsu got up from his seat paid the waitress, and tipped for the service and made his way to the dark guild while whistling the same merry tune as earlier.

Looking at the storm encased guild Natsu saw Erigor fly away with a 3 eyed skull flute in his hands. ' WTF is that.'

Using Fire steps Natsu was now airborne and was about to follow the wind mage but remembered something important. Turning back to the guild hall, he quickly sees that his guild mates are stuck in the Guildhall, with a gigantic tornado surrounding it, allowing nobody to escape. Thinking fast, Natsu has just the right spell to deal with the wall.

 _"Fire Dragon's Hell Fire Roar"_ , Natsu shot out a red and black stream of magic devouring flames from his mouth, freeing the Fairy Tail mages from the magical _Wind Wall_.

"Happy! let's go!" Natsu called out to his blue best friend.

"Aye sir _Max Speed_ " was the reply, and ignoring everyone else's requests to stay, Happy flew to Natsu and latched on to his back and started to follow Ergior to Clover Town. Everything was just a blur in colour, nothing could be seen clearly. All they could follow was the feeling of the death magic, And the smell of piss... Wait what?!

Reaching Clover Town a few miles behind Erigor who was a wind wizard so he had an advantage, Natsu saw the white haired mage about to play the flute but was interrupted by Gramps.

"Natsu what should we do?" Happy asked his rose headed partner. Natsu was considering whether his trust in gramps, was worth the possible outcome. Coming to a decision Natsu realized that Makarov could flatten Ergior within seconds.

"We should wait just a bit to see what Erigor does." Natsu replied trying to listen in on their conversation. While he might have the ear's and nose of a dragon, Natsu's can only hear things within a 40 meter radius (?) and the two wizards are just a few feet out of range.

"You humans are all so useless!" A deep demonic voice said from the flute that Erigor dropped. The flute transformed into a colossal wooden demon that made his covered up left hand buzz like something bad is going to happen.

"Whose soul should I devour first!" The wooden demon pondered in a comical thinking position.

 _"Ice-Make: Geyser"_ **,** a pillar of ice hit the wood demon in his face.

 _"Re-quip: Heavens Wheel Armor"_ , swords flew and struck the demon creating holes in him.

 _"Beast Soul: Arms: Bull Arm"_ , a white haired mage went and attacked demons legs, making him fall.

 _"Open Gate Of The Archer: Sagittarius_ _,_ a humanoid man with a horse head appeared with a bow and arrow and shot the demon creating even more holes in the poor demon.

"You think you can beat me the Great Lullaby!" The wood demon now identified as Lullaby bellowed as he tried to get up but kept getting attacked.

"Ahhh! Stop it!" Lullaby kept yelling at the mages who continued their non-stop attack in hopes of killing the demon.

"Dammit they're taking so long! I want to eat fish!" Happy whined, Natsu smiled a little bit, "Should I go and end the battle?" He pondered out loud.

"Yes please Natsu they're taking forever!" Happy practically begged his partner, bored of the long fight, and wanting to get back to gorging himself with his precious fish.

"So be it." Natsu said as he ran and used Fire steps to keep him in the air. Appearing above lullaby, he channeled his fire magic into his hands.

 _"Fire Dragon's Jaw" Natsu locked his hands t_ ogether, and swung them towards the ground, creating a a destructive wave of circular fire, burning lullaby to ash. Natsu used a version of Laxus' _Ligh_ t _ning Dragons jaw,_ because Laxus saw Natsu as a younger brother, and wanted to help him train and evolve his _Dragon Slayer Magic,_ he spilled his secret to Natsu, thus making them feel closer to each other _,_ and they helped each other learn.

"Yes! We're saved! Thank You Fire Prince-sama!" The town's people came and cheered him.

Natsu looked away in embarrassment, " It wasn't just me! my guild mates helped win the battle they should receive more praises because they were fight before I even joined." Natsu trying to give his guild mates some of the attention.

The crowd ignored Natsu's statement, continuing to say how they were saved by the legendary "Fire Prince" and how he was their Role model, and were singing him praise. They were so glad he saved them, they announced they would hold a party in his name.

Looking back to Elfman, Erza, Gray and Lucy they all glared at him with hate and envy. Natsu sighed to himself in disappointment, 'Why don't they accept me aren't I human too. Why do they all hate me so much, what did I ever do to them, I treat everyone like my family but they all treat me like I'm their enemy...why?' Natsu asked himself feeling his eyes get a little moist, the pinkette turned his gaze and gave everyone a fake smile.

 **Finally done with Chapter 3, and finally done with Lullaby arc! Onto he next arc. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and peace out until the next one.**

* * *

 **Remember if you do not log in, I cannot reply to your reviews!**

 _Natsuharemlover- I will be completely honest with you, I'm not too sure how I will get Natsu with all these different chicks, but mentioning Ultear and Sorano gives me some ideas. However I am not completely confident I can write all these girls in, without lemons, which I refuse to do, for now._

* * *

Thanks a lot guys! Now I have to somehow revive Ur. Screw all of you! ;)

Luckily NVK and I have been working on some new spells, bouncing ideas back and forth, and I think I can revive Ur, and the consequences it will have on Natsu.

* * *

I am completely and totally aware that some readers aren't fond of "Fairy Tail hates Natsu AU's". However as chapters go by, at least 1 fairy tail member will like Natsu from here on out, as I already know what I want to do with arcs like Eisenwald, Galina, ToH excetra. If you can wait for later chapters, I would really appreciate it.

All criticism is accepted, if you want to flame go right ahead!

* * *

Thetr will be a new poll on my profile this week, send PMS or reviews in who you guys want to be in the harem, and instead of me writing literally every fenale fairy tail character in, 7 votes means the girls get in. Remember if you want a girl to get in that Doesn't get votes, send me a PM on why you want them in, and I'll see what I can do.

Who is already in the harem?

If I miss anyone for the harem poll, do let me know.

Cana

Mirajane

Lucy

Ur

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Chapter 4 WILL be a completely new chapter, if you disagree with me doing this send me a PM and I will explain why I did it

About Chapter 4, I'm not quite sure what to do. And im stuck with chapter 5, So your gonna hate me? but I might just split chapter 4 in half to give me more time. as of now its 5600 words or something and still isnt done. I dunno. send a PM on whatcha think. (INcase you havent noticed, i really dont care about grammar in end notes).

Bye!


	4. Say What?

Chapter 4

When Natsu woke up the next morning, he was feeling excited with his plans for the day. Today was the day he would finally ask Mirajane out on a date, and since Gildarts isn't Magnolia, his success was almost assured.

Pulling back his red dragon bed sheets, yes, he has a bed. He laid up, stretching his arms out wide, relieving the kinks in his back and neck. Looking around his room, it was kind of a mess. There are dirty clothes strewn around the room. Candy wrappers surrounding his bed, and a thin layer of dust on his precious memory wall. His ceilings were white, his walls a dark maroon, and his floors a nice engineered oak.

"Looks like I should clean up a little bit, who knows what's gonna happen tonight!" Natsu exclaimed giddily. Mirajane is a beautiful young woman, can you blame him?

Still in his boxers and... a maid apron? What the... He started to clean up his room, with a garbage bag in hand, and with his laundry basket, carried his laundry, walking by the kitchen, he dropped the basket and gazed in shock. Happy was laying down on the counter passed out, surrounded by a mountain of boxes, wrappers and half eaten food.

Not wanting to get off track, Natsu continues down the hall, towards his laundry lacrima, and starts the cycle (A/N sorry if this is inaccurate). Heading back to the kitchen to clean his friend's mess, he pulls out a broom and dustpan, and once again starts cleaning.

"Natsu?" Happy wearily asked, as he was slowly waking up from his gorging-induced nap.

*Sigh* "You need to learn control Happy..." Natsu said.

"Aye," Happy replied, feeling sick. No wonder though, 37 fish and 8 jars of sardines can't be good for anyone, let alone a small blue cat with wings.

"Let's get you to bed Happy, you should sleep this off." Natsu picked Happy up, cradling him in his arms like a newborn baby. It's times like this that remind Natsu of Lisanna, how she constantly declared Happy was their "son", and how they were a family. Memories like these make Natsu feel melancholy, consider what could have happened, how Mira and Elfman would be happier, and how he wouldn't be alone. Sighing once again, he starts walking Happy to his room. Originally Natsu and Happy wanted to share a room, thinking that it would only make their friendship stronger. However both Gildarts and Laxus threw that idea out the door, because they knew Natsu would grow up, and let me tell yah, there is something you do NOT want your best friend to walk in on. Opening the door, he walked past the fish tank, over to Happy's hammock, and gently lays him down. Pulling the blanket up, to cover Happy in a comfortable manner, he looks around and sighed. Now for someone like Happy who loves eating fish, having a fish tank is real, REALLY weird, but Happy insisted that when they caught extra fish they could put them in the tank so they were "fresher" to eat on a later day... Happy also isn't the brightest talking cat with wings...

Remembering how much he had to pay Reedus to paint Happy's walls with fishes and coral on the wall, almost as if you were underwater, swimming with fishes. Looking at the fishing rack, with their hats and tackle boxes, and their fishing rods, bringing back memories of when they would go fishing with Laxus or Gildarts. 'It been a few years a nice I last saw my old man, I hope he's doin' alright'. Turning around to exit Happy's room, he almost tripped over the little green bag.

Chuckling a little, he stepped over it and exits the room, intending to go to the washing lacrima to freshen up before he gets dressed. Taking his apron off, he steps into the washing lacrima. Seconds later a pair of boxers come flying out of the lacrima, as steam filled the room.

At the guild- Mirajane POV

"Mira~ Come and give me some sugar." Wakaba Mine flirts, his pipe hanging out of his mouth, with his brown hair still defying gravity, wearing that green flower patterned shirt and crimson pants. He was, of course, sitting at the bar with his drinking buddies, Cana Alberona and Macao Conbolt.

Cana had her dark brown hair cascading down her back, and some draped over her shoulders. She was wearing her usual blue bikini top with garnet red pants held with a pink belt. She is Fairy Tails resident lush.

Macao had his dark navy blue hair slicked back, wearing a necklace with a large S pendant, a black t-shirt with a white overcoat. With brown slacks and a white belt. He is married and has a boy by the name of Romeo, who is forbidden to... just kidding.

"I'll be right there!" Mira shouted from the back, and out walks Millgana Mine. Grabbing a sugar packet, she slowly waddles over to the bar, dodging a flying chair, she stops in front of a gaping Wakaba, giving him the sugar packet with a wink, she heads to the back to get to work on a certain someone's strawberry cheesecake. Grabbing Graham crackers for a crust she gets to work.

"Rejected!" Macao chortled, laughing at his best friends misfortune with women. Mira just laughed, proud of her "prank". Cana of course just kept drinking from her 7th barrel of the day...

Natsu PoV

Walking alone is weird, the silence is unbearable. And moments like these allow Natsu to truly think, as well as he can anyway. As he walked down the busy street, watching the magic mobiles zoom by and horns honking.

Dressed in a white button up and black slacks, Natsu is walking to the flower shop, so he can ask Mira out properly, 'she is a woman and deserves to be treated like one' Natsu thought, proud of himself for going about asking her out the right way. Opening the door to the flower shop, the bell rang as he walked in, he was overwhelmed by the smell of flowers and starts coughing profusely. He suddenly stops coughing upon the realization 'I don't know what type of flowers she likes!'. Looking around he sees flowers of different colors and types, all organized along the walls in planters and holders, the floor is a nice mahogany, and light lacrimas hung from the ceiling.

"Hello, Welcome to Fauna's flowers, how may I help you today?" A young woman greeted him as she was walking to the counter, she was wearing a straw hat with her ginger hair tied back in a messy ponytail. A green apron with clippers and a yellow sundress covered her slim body.

"Err, I would like to buy some flowers?" Natsu asked sheepishly, not knowing what type of flowers to buy.

"Well, you're in the right place! This is my mom's shop, my name is Blossom." She cheerily replied, "what type of flowers are you looking for?" She asked.

"Yeah, about that. I don't know what her favorite flowers are." Natsu sighed, his plans of asking her out already going wrong 'maybe she might know what type to buy?' Natsu thought hopefully.

"Ooh! You came to the right place. Is this a first date? I would hope you would know her favorite flowers otherwise." Blossom glared at him, 'if he forgot he favorite flowers, he doesn't deserve her' she thought resolutely. Growing up with her mom, flowers are important in life, and every different one has a different meaning.

"I haven't asked her yet," Natsu replied with a grin on his face, beginning to like the quirky girl.

"Oh how romantic!" She squealed with her hands clasped and a giddy smile on her face. "Would you like some help?" She asks with a megawatt grin on her face.

'Oh thank Mavis' "Yes, please! I have been trying to ask her out for years, and my dad keeps interrupting every time! But now tha-"

He was interrupted by a snort. Legit.

"You're rambling. What's her name? What is she like?" Blossom asks.

"Her name's Mirajane, and she's one of The most Beautiful women I have ever met, with pure white hair, and an angelic smile. Sh-"

"You mean Mirajane Strauss?!" Blossom shouts, caught off guard at the fact he's talking about the pin-up model.

"Aye, sir! I mean mam!" Natsu cheered.

"I know just the bouquet for her! But it's gonna cost ya~" Blossom singsonged.

And for once in his abnormal life, Natsu was dead serious.

"She's my best friend, and I really, really like her. Whatever the price, I'll pay it, because she is more than worth it" Natsu replied seriously.

Blossom just smiled, knowing that if he really meant it, she would say yes before he even asked. She walked to the back, looking for one of their signature bouquets.

Natsu watched blossom walk out of the back, with a bouquet comprising of white roses, tulips and lilies.

"That's perfect! Thank you so much!" He was so excited he tackled her with a hug, luckily she had placed the bouquet on the counter seconds before.

"Calm down!" She laughed.

"I'm so sorry!" Natsu scrambled off of her, and hastily bowed repeatedly.

"It's alright! Calm down, I forgive you! On one condition." She smiled oh so evilly, it scared Natsu more than Erza. ERZA!

"Uhm, what is this condition", by this point Natsu was deathly pale, and sweating buckets.

"You tell me how the date goes of course!" By this point, Blossom was giggling at the expression on his face.

"I can do that!" Natsu said proudly.

"Great!" She replied, "that will be 750 jewels"

Natsu fainted.

-At the guild-

Lucy had just walked through the door and excited smile on her pretty face. She was more than excited on what adventures this new day would bring. Walking over to the bar, she sat on a stool patiently waiting for something to happen.

"Good morning Lu-chan!" A certain petite bluenette happily greeted.

"Good morning Levy-chan! Did you sleep well?" Lucy asked politely, pondering asking Levy to go on a quest with the illustrious team shadow gear.

"It was ok" Levy replied, sitting beside Lucy at the bar, calling for Mira to order an omelet.

"I'll have it done in a few minutes Levy, is that ok with you?" Mira queried.

"That would be splendid!" Levy said, unaware that the rest of her team was spying on her, Jet and Droy.

Jet has orange hair tied back in a ponytail, and a Brown and white striped top hat upon his head. He wears a purple button up and a brown fur lined overcoat with black harem pants, his real name is Sasuke, but he changed to Jet, because of his high-speed magic, which makes him the fastest person in fairy tail.

Droy has his black hair gelled up into an alien antenna and is wearing an ivory white long sleeve with a brass cross guard, with forest green black perpendicularly striped pants. His brass cross guard is called "live coal" and it contains all of his seeds for his plant magic.

-CRASH- the guilds doors burst open.

"Where's Natsu? I still need payback for stealing our quest yesterday!" A certain stripper shouted arrogantly. Walking through the now wide open doors, in walks Gray Fullbuster, a master of ice, but not his shirt. He is wearing a pair of boxers, and a silver pendant around his neck. His arrogant smirk on his face, as he looked around the guild hall for the 'Fail-Slayer' (A/N sorry).

"Speaking of Natsu, Gray is right, Where is he? I need to apologize for yesterday." Lucy said, concern overwhelming her entire being, ashamed of not living to the standards her mother gave her. To be the better person, to think before acting, 'it's killing me inside, he was nothing but kind to me, and yet I turned on him the first chance I got'. Tearing up a little Lucy looked to Levy, who was patiently waiting for her omelet.

"Lu-chan, are you ok?" Levy asked, concern filling her at the sight of Lucy's unshed tears.

"I made a mistake Levy-chan." Lucy sighed.

"What happened Lu-chan?" Levy implored, hoping to help her new best friend resolve her problems.

"Levy, your omelet is ready!" Mira cheered, proud to be able to help her friends.

"Thanks, Mira-san!" Levy replied gleefully, dutifully paying for her meal, and taking a bite out of her food. She moaned, pleased by the pleasant taste.

"Mira?" Lucy hesitantly asked, knowing how close Natsu and she were.

"Is there something wrong Lucy?" Mira asked, having already heard what Lucy said to Levy, but she still wanted her to say it again. Demon Mirajane is still alive and kicking folks!

"I need to apologize to Natsu, but he isn't here, did he leave for a job already?" Lucy determinedly asked, still depressed about her rash actions in ending her contract with Aquarius.

"Lu-chan, why in the name of Mavis do you have to apologize to Natsu of all people?" Levy asked in shock, not knowing why anyone would want to apologize to _him._ On the other hand, Lucy was down right shocked. Levy was one of the nicest people she had ever met! And by no means would she think Natsu could do something to make someone this nice, hate him. 'Why are people so quick to think the worst of Natsu?' Lucy pondered...

Looking around the guild hall, Lucy was right, Natsu, nor Happy were anywhere to be seen. Vijeeter was dancing in the corner with a wide grin on his face, Nab was standing at the request board, still looking for the perfect job. Makarov was sitting at the bar, quietly drinking his beer with a drunken smile on his face. Elfman was still out on a job. Bisca was at a table, contently feeding Sunny, her pet mouse, some peanut butter, and crackers, while Alzack stared at her with hearts in his eyes. Jet and Droy were sitting across from each other, sending not so discreet glances at levy, and Cana had now moved to a bench to lie down, after her 19th barrel she declared it was time for a nap. Other members like Erza, Elfman and Mickey Chickentiger were out in jobs.

"I don't know Lucy, I really don't know," Mira said, she was really hoping to see her crash this morning.

"Hey, Lucy" Gray shouted rudely "Why do you have to apologize for the flame brain anyways?!"

"Because we accused him of stealing the glory when we tried to steal his job!" Lucy vehemently replied, beginning to notice how a family orientated guild was shunning Natsu, and not understanding why...

"That flame brain waited for us to wear Lullaby down, only to take the final attack for the glory!" Gray shouted angrily, annoyed at being overlooked and ignored because of Natsu, not having heard him try to tell the crowd that they deserve praise too.

"Gray, Lucy is right, Natsu came to me yesterday asking me to take care of Happy, because he had a dangerous mission of dismantling a dark guild, and he didn't want Happy to be caught in the crossfire" Mira stated, defending her crush. 'Why does everyone hate Natsu? He's a nice, caring, eccentric, fun man. How could someone like that have so many haters?' Mira thought with a frown on her angelic face.

"Bullshit! Stop defending him beca-!"

"Gray" Makarov interrupted " I gave Natsu the quest, directly from the council mind you, last night."

"Still doesn't prove that the hot head didn't steal the glory on purpose." Gray retorted, determined the fire mage was at fault. "However, I would agree that Natsu stole all the attention, meaning to or otherwise, he should still apologize. And since there was a reward, it should be split between all of you." Makarov finished, annoyed at his brats ignorance.

"How much?" Lucy asked awestruck 'Maybe I can buy some cute new clothes!' Lucy internally squealed.

"Well the quest was originally fourteen million jewels," Makarov stated, rubbing his chin " but two million jewels had to go to repairs, so it's twelve million jewels to split between the six of you," Makarov said with a grin, proud of his math.

"I just got TWO MILLION JEWELS?!" Lucy hysterically shouted. 'I'm rich! I'm rich!' Lucy gleefully chanted jumping up and down. Makarov had passed out with a bloody nose, due to seeing Lucy's bountiful bust bouncing up and down in her tight pink tank top, and her brown skirt flying up, daring red lace panties being seen by all who cared to look.

"I could care less about jewels master!" Gray said. Turning around, Gray saw Makarov passed out surrounded in a small pool of blood, oh well...

"Master?!" Gray frantically asked the elderly man.

"He's alright Gray, he's just a perv," Mira said with a frown on her face.

"I can't believe Gramps thinks a few jewels will make up for the glory hogging ass hole". Gray muttered, more annoyed than anything.

Happy figured now would be the best time to interject with his own two cents.

"Actually I asked Natsu to end the fight, I was bored and hungry, I'm sorry, do you forgive me?" Interjected the sad dense blue cat with white wings.

"It's okay Happy, you have nothing to be sorry for, it's not like you meant for that to happen, right?" Lucy assured, not liking to see the usually happy cat so sad.

"Aye," Happy muttered.

"Mira, can I have some fish?" Happy's eyes just sparkled in delight.

"Coming right up!" Mira giggled. As Mira started walking to the back, Lucy started talking to Happy.

"Hey Happy" Lucy questioned, "do you know where Natsu is? I need to say sorry about yesterday."

"I don't know Luigi, I woke up and Natsu wasn't home." Happy replied, patiently waiting with his legs crossed for his fish.

"Damn cat! My name is LUCY, not Luigi!" Lucy comically whined.

"Lucy, Luigi, same difference" happy replied nonchalantly without interest, losing his patience for the best food on the face of the planet, in his little mind anyway.

"That's it!" Lucy angrily announced, jumping up she started to chase Happy around the guild. "Get back here you mangy cat!"

"Miraa~!" Happy whined, "help me~"

"Well, maybe you shouldn't make fun of our new guild mate then?" Mira rejected his quest, finding it amusing to watch every guy in the guild, stare at Lucy's voluptuous body, and ignore their conversations in favor of watching her chase the annoying blue cat.

"Waah! Help me! The fat blonde is going to kill me~" Happy moans, flying for his life.

"That's it cat! _Open gate of the golden archer, Sagittarius"_

 _"_ Neigh! Good day, my lady! How may I be of service to you today?" Sagittarius cheerfully greeted. Sagittarius is a masterful archer, in a horse suit...

"Sagittarius! I need you to down that flying cat!" Lucy points with a smug smile on her pretty face.

The master archer complies with his lady's wish and draws an arrow from his quiver.

" _Max Speed!_ Happy shouted in fright, he ends up ramming into Gray, who flies into Nab, who punches him into Cana, starting a guild wide brawl. But nobody noticed a small blue cat, dragging himself away, covered in scratches and smudges covering his small form.

-Natsu PoV-

After Natsu woke up, and hesitantly handed over 750 jewels to Blossom 'it's worth it,' he chanted 'it's for her'. He made his way out of the store with flowers in hand.

Walking down the street his insecurities attacked his person, beginning to doubt his success. 'She's a famous model, who probably knows other models, what chance do I have?' he thinks sourly. 'No! I have to stay confident.' Natsu thinks resolutely, however, he still mentally prepared himself for rejection.

After a few minutes of walking, he finally arrived at the guild hall, the place he met his family, also the place he intends to make like him, even if he dies trying. He could already hear the sounds of furniture being broken and smell the alcohol in the air

"Well, here we go," Natsu sighed, kicking the doors open with his usual vigor and a bright smile on his face, which quickly diminished with all the hateful stares pointed at him. 'I can do this, I CAN DO THIS'. Natsu walked over to the bar, with the flowers behinds his back.

"Hey, flame brain! It was nice before you got here!" Gray laughed. Gray quickly took notice of the bouquet of flowers in his hands, as did many other guild mates, including Macao, Wakaba, Cana, Makarov, Lucy, and Team Shadow Gear. It seemed that Erza had gone on another S class request, apparently feeling inadequate after seeing Natsu's display of strength in demolishing Lullaby. And Mickey was off on a messenger request, that was given by the council.

Ya know, usually, when a guy has flowers and is looking for a chick, you would think it would click that he wants to ask her out. Some how or other, none of the male members made this connection, they only thought he pissed Mira or Erza off and was trying to make amends.

Natsu ignored him, as he reached the bar he sat down on a bar stool and patiently waited for Mira to leave the kitchen. He was too stuck in his own head to hear Grays taunts, or Lucy's attempts to apologize. He sat for the next five minutes, tapping his feet in nervousness.

"Fuck it" Natsu muttered, he was about to stand up and walk to the kitchen when his name was called.

"Natsu?" Lucy implored hesitantly. She was standing right behind him and was trying to get his attention ever since he sat down at the bar. 'And here I thought dragon slayers had better senses than a normal human's' Lucy thought curiously, 'I wonder who the flowers are for though...' Lucy pondered.

"Hey Luce, can you give me a few though? There's something I gotta do" Natsu told her, walking to the kitchen, right when he opened the door...

~CRASH~

Something had fallen from the sky, hitting the bell on the roof, ignoring the sound, and the rush of people running outside to see what happened, Natsu kept on going until he heard HIM, the last person he never, ever wanted to see that day. 'No! I'll never be able to ask her out now!' Natsu thought sadly.

"Natsu! Hey, Natsu! It's your dad!". Gildarts, waving his arms around like a maniac, with a familiar grin on his handsome face.

Natsu just sighed, lowering his arms and turning around to see his father, only to hear a gasp in shock.

He quickly turned around once again, only to see Mirajane in all her glory, standing there with her hands covering her pretty little mouth.

"Natsu..." Mira muttered, "Are those for me?" She queried, hopeful beyond belief, 'he had white flowers and was entering the kitchen. There's no one else that could be fore, right?'.

"Yes, they are Mirajane, would you like to g-" he was promptly tackled by his surrogate father.

"Natsu it is not cool to ignore you father! Apologize!" Gildarts shouted while squeezing Natsu like he was a teddy bear.

"Um, Gildarts, Natsu is turning blue..." Mira said, trying to help her crush out of this man's arms. 'And if I play my cards right" Mira thought 'right into mine!'.

Mira's assistance was for naught, as soon as Gildarts let go of Natsu, he fell to the ground in a heap of limbs and hair. Surprisingly, the flowers were still intact...

Let's just say Natsu was not too happy when he woke up, the flowers were missing, his clothes were dirty and wrinkled, and with his dad now here, he couldn't even try to ask Mira out again, not today at least. He was laying down on a guild bench, sitting up he notices Mira and Gildarts talking at the bar, Gray running around looking for his clothes. Wakaba and Macao were trying their luck at a drinking contest against Cana, knowing how much she had drunk earlier that day, they had hoped they could win. Happy was nowhere to be seen, nor were team shadow gear, or Lucy in the guild. 'Didn't she want to talk to me?' Natsu ponders, giving up on thinking, he has a bone to pick with a certain someone. Walking over to the bar he says,

"Gildarts I swear to Mavis! If you weren't my father..." Natsu threatened none too gently.

"Lighten up son! I haven't seen you in months and this is how you treat me?" Gildarts says with a comically sad expression on his face.

Natsu just grumbled, disappointed with yet another failed attempt to ask Mira out. So he sat at the bar, only for Gildarts to throw an arm over his shoulder, and pull him closer, almost knocking Natsu's stool over...

"So how has my only child been while I was gone?" Gildarts questions with a proud smile on his face, wanting to hear tales of his son's bravery and strength.

"About as good as always," Natsu dryly replies "taking butts and kicking names!" Natsu shouts, not realizing he messed up the saying.

"Stop lying flame brain! The only butt you've ever touched is your own!" Gray taunted. "And how the hell do you take name's?!" Unsurprisingly, Gray is about just as bright as Natsu...

Mira chooses now to interrupt.

"And who's butt's have you been taking?" Mira eerily asks, making Natsu turn deathly pale. Gildarts is just watching with a proud smile on his face, having had noticed the flash of jealousy that flew across Mirajane's face, 'Man, when will my knuckle head of a son ask her out?' Gildarts thought ironically. Apparently, he never realized he always interrupted Natsu when he tries to ask her out.

"I mea-n-t ki-cki-n-g bu-t-ts an-nd ta-kin-ng n-am-es" Natsu barely stutters out, his voice progressively getting softer as he finished the sentence.

"That's what I thought!" Mira said with an angelic smile on her face. Natsu let's out a sigh of relief, he had been building magic power up for " _Fire Step_ s" just in case he had to bail out of there fast! 'thank Mavis' Natsu thought.

And Gildarts just kept laughing.

Meanwhile, Cana had literally drunk Wakaba and Macao under the table, causing them to fall asleep together in a comical, compromising, position. With their arms wrapped around each other and their legs intertwined, they almost looked like a poster couple for the gay parade. But sadly even this comedic scene could not bring Cana out of the dumps. 'Why does it hurt so much?!' she thought despondently,

"He's barely even talked to me, and yet watching him shower Natsu with praise and affection, makes me want to cry." tears were willing up in her eyes, trying to keep them controlled she threw back more alcohol, because kids... Alcohol makes EVERYTHING better.

"Why does he not even realize I exist" She muttered, the tears now starting to fall.

And finally, something clicked for Natsu. 'Why is she jealous of me because of Gildarts?' He thought, having over heard her muttering in despair. 'Come on Natsu. Think Natsu! THINK!' He thought to himself, trying to understand why Cana would want to be at least noticed by Gildarts. He was so deep in thought he never heard Grays taunts, felt Gildarts hugs, nor saw Mira's hand waving in front of his face. He took a deep breath, trying to think. And another breath. Then he had an idea. Gildarts almost thought he smelled something burning, almost, then he just realized Natsu was trying to think and laughed.

~Light Bulb~

"Hey Mira, what do you know about Cana?" Natsu asked, thinking himself a genius, while on the other hand, Mira was fuming.

"And why are you asking me?!" Mira glared, not liking her crush asking about another busty, hot girl. She was fuming 'I am a bloody model for Mavis' sake! Why is Natsu interested in her?!'

Natsu gulped in fear, and started shaking, he may like her, but she is the scariest woman he has ever had the pleasure and misfortune of meeting.

"No reason!" Natsu yelled in fear, his hands in the air like she was pointing a gun at his face...

"Good! Mira turned around and started attending the needy guild members. Natsu, on the other hand, had decided to give thinking a break, and talk to his father.

"So dad! How was your mission?" Natsu inquired, 'I mean, Dad is always gone for a long time! he must have the best luck in missions! Getting to slay cool monsters and stuff!' he thought.

"Well it's a funny story," Gildarts admitted with a guilty smile on his face. "On my way to the job, I ended up getting drunk off my ass in a bar, and then... I woke up on the other side of Fiore naked and gear-less, surrounded by passed-out monsters wearing makeup..." Gildarts replied Natsu on the other hand, just sighed.

"Sounds about right!" Natsu smirked.

"Hey!" Gildarts shouted indignantly, "Treat your awesome father with the respect he deserves!" he posed with his fists on his waist.

"So, none?" Natsu innocently asked. Some on lookers felt jealous, seeing the obvious father-son relation ship between the two, some even felt amused. But nobody felt more jealous or hurt than Cana. 'I can't take it anymore! Gildarts already has the child he always wanted, why would he ever want me' she thought, her heart had finally broken in two, she stormed out of the guild hall, hoping not to return until AFTER Gildarts left. And maybe, just maybe, never to return at all.

Natsu didn't even hear Gildarts screaming rant, he just locked eyes with Mira across the rowdy guild, both having had noticed Cana's distressed expression before she stormed out, and he even had a pretty good idea why she was upset 'I have to get to the bottom of this, they may hate me, envy me, but to me they are still my uncles, sisters, and brothers' Natsu thought with an unnoticed tear rolling down his face. Asking Mira the unasked question, she nodded her head, giving him all the encouragement he needed.

He whispered _"Fire Steps",_ and disappearing in a flash, he was off, hoping to catch up with Cana before she got hurt.

Everyone in the guild looked on in shock, especially Gildarts. Here he was, trying to spend some quality time with his precious little boy, only for him to up and disappear in a flash of fire and smoke. It's not like he didn't know how Natsu disappeared, he just didn't know why his favorite and "only" child would leave him...

"Hey Mira..." he asked, "Is Natsu okay? did I do something wrong? did I..." he was rambling non-stop by now, not understanding why the boy who used to look up at him would leave him for something else.

Mira just nodded with a fake smile on her face, her plump lips thin and white, 'What is going on?' she thought... As she was going around, tending the guild mates, she kicks something and almost falls over. Looking down, she sees Cana's card bag, sprawled all over the ground, and gasps in worry.

-Cana's PoV-

While running down the street, let's just say Cana was in a little bit of turmoil, or, well, a helluva lot of turmoil! 'I hate Natsu, he stole my father away. Now I'll never be able to tell Gildarts that I'm his daughter because he already has the perfect child he's always wanted!' Cana thought. She broke through crowds, and some people even fell over. She was running like the wind, almost like she was getting chased. But in truth the only thing that was chasing her, was guilt. Here she was, blaming Natsu for _finally_ having a family when she didn't have the guts to fix her own. She was aimless, she wasn't going anywhere, the only thing that mattered is where she wasn't. She didn't slow down or stop running until she fell down into a hole, and sprained her ankle. Oh, did I forget to mention she hit her head on a rock and passed out? Oops.

-Natsu's PoV-

Natsu had gone to fairy hills, and every tavern in town, and couldn't find her AT ALL! Now you're probably wondering why he didn't use his nose? Well, Cana had the overwhelming scent of alcohol and paper. So, paper is made of trees, taverns are made of trees, you probably get where I'm going with this. Anyways he was pretty pissed. The day had gone terribly!

"First I cleaned my house because I wanted to ask Mira out. Then I get roped into spending 750 jewels on a bloody bouquet of flowers. And in the end, Gildarts got in the way, AGAIN!" Natsu grumbled, walking through the forest because he thought he saw brown hair. I know, Great lead...

"I swear, the next time Gildarts stops me from asking Mira out, WILL BE THE LAST!" Natsu shouted, scaring the birds away. He kept on walking but didn't seem to notice the hole in front of him, Oh well...

-Crash-

Well, somehow, Natsu managed not to land flat on his face. Good for him.

"Dammit, this is just a bad day in general" Natsu said. _"Fire ste-..."_ he heard breathing. Looking around, he realizes maybe today isn't that bad. He had found Cana. Noticing the gash on her head (it was a sharp rock okay?!) He re-quips a first aid kit, and gets to work, slowly cleaning and bandaging the cut, he took off his overcoat, and balled it up and put it under her head. 'I probably shouldn't move her, she could have a concussion, or she could have hurt her neck. (A/N I know he could move her, but Natsu may be smarter than canon, but that still doesn't mean he's smart). Using fire steps, he quickly leaves the hole to collect some fire wood to keep Cana warm.

-1 hour time skip-

-Cana's PoV-

Cana woke up, feeling heat dance across her face. As she groggily woke up, the first thing she notices was a mind numbing headache. Reaching up to rub her temple, she was shocked to feel a bandage on her head. Her eyes flew open in shock, and then she finally realized where she was. I can't blame her, it's hard to think with a headache. Anyways, she heard the campfire crackling, and the leaves rustling.

"How's your head?" An unknown voice asked from behind her. It made her freak out, only a little bit. Trying to turn around, only to see a flash of pink as the unknown person knelt in front of her, and she instantly felt annoyed. 'I'm not sure whether I should be annoyed that he followed me, or grateful he did' Cana thought, completely forgetting that Gildarts was in Magnolia. Trying to ignore the throbbing pain in her head, it made the answer too easy.

"Like shit" Cana groaned. She tried to sit up but was kept down by the gentle hands of the man she Hated. The man who replaced her, who was the child Gildarts never had, and the reason she was never able to confess to her father. Yep, because she totally would have been able to tell him otherwise...

"Why did you follow me?!" She angrily asked, not understanding why someone would leave someone they loved to follow someone who hated them.

"You looked sad." Natsu simply replied, not understanding why she was mad that he was helping her. 'Did I do the bandage wrong?' Natsu curiously ponders... 'Nah, Mira taught me how to properly bandage myself and others' Natsu concluded.

Cana on the other hand just gaped. 'Why did he cares enough to follow someone who treated him less than the ground beneath her feet, simply because they looked sad. Wait, that's a bloody good question...'

"Why do you care?!" Cana screamed.

"Ow! Natsu moaned, "Ears!" Of course, Cana is too distressed and hurting to care, and I don't mean her head.

"Why do you care? You followed me here, only because I was sad? Instead of asking Mira out? What are you!" Cana replied a bit softer, knowing that if she wants to answer, he needs to be able to hear her. Still, doesn't mean it wasn't painful, but, she tried.

"I have always been told that if your family is in pain, you put them before yourself," Natsu replied wisely. Thanks, Makarov.

"I'm part of your family?" Cana whispered emotionally. She has never been kind to him, and yet she's his family?

"Everyone in Fairy Tail is my Nakama, even if they don't see me the same way. Because Fairy Tail is my family." Natsu replied just as softly. It hurt though, the fact the people he loved, didn't love him, but that just gave him the strength to keep going, to prove them wrong.

And she suddenly felt disgusted in herself. She has been nothing but mean and rude to this man, and yet, he cares about her, He's helping her. Her eyes tear up a bit, thus causing Natsu to freak out, only a little bit.

"Oh no! Is the fire too bright? Is my jacket too rough? Should I shut up? Is-" Natsu rambled off, to where nobody really knows. Hell, I don't.

"Shut up sounds like a great idea," Cana replied. Her head hurt worse than her first hangover. But it wasn't even why she was upset. She had blamed Natsu for everything. And he still cared for her.

Natsu had enough of the "Cana and Gildarts mystery," and decided that he wanted to know, right now.

"Cana, how does Gildarts fit into all of this?" Natsu curiously asked. The tears were falling freely, and the sobs were coming by the dozen. Stunned, Natsu stood like a statue of a Greek God, but in a less than fortunate pose, Gaping like a fish out of water, he was stunned, he never knew she was this sad. He is truly an idiot.

Doing what he KNEW Mira would have told him, he prostrated and hugged her. His coat was wet with fresh tears, and all he could smell is salt. But he knew she needed this. An hour went by, then another, until she stopped crying. Throwing caution to the wind, he asks his last question of the night.

"Cana, what does Gildarts mean to you?" He asked gently. Having spent all of her tears, she had a few options, She could tell him, lie, or not at all. Going with the ladder, she told the first person, ever, about who her father was.

"Gildarts... Gildarts is my father." And on she went, describing how her mother, Cornelia, couldn't deal with the worry and pain of being married to a famous S-Class mage, and Ace of Fairy tail, so she left him and didn't even know she had his child growing inside her. How her mother died from sickness, and how her mother's last words were of her father. And why she joined fairy tail. And all Natsu could feel is guilt. His happiness had destroyed someone else so much, they drank and cried every night from tears. He had just assumed salt was part of her natural scent. But for him, some things started to make sense. He assumed that since Cana and Gildarts both drank alcohol, that is why they smelled alike. But of course Natsu was never a thinker, so he never investigated it. And Natsu could only cry with his, well, new sister? Well, she certainly doesn't think so!

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." was his mantra, his tears were his art, and his guilt was his burden.

Cana had fallen asleep crying that night, and Natsu picked her up. Using _Fire Dragon's Rocket,_ Natsu expelled a powerful stream of golden flames from the sole of his feet, just like a rocket, propelling himself into the sky. This was an attack that Gildarts, had suggested he make for possible air battles. He originally wanted to make fire wings, but this costs a significant amount less of magic. He started walking, heading to the guild hall. By the time he got her to the guild only Mira was there, cleaning the bar for the morning. Natsu had made a beeline to Mira, wanting to make sure Cana's head was okay.

"Mira! Hey, Mira, where should I put Cana? Should I take her to Fairy hills?" Natsu said, Mira hadn't heard him enter the guild at all, so to look up and see Natsu carrying Cana Princess style, her clothes were scuffed and a faintly bloody red bandage on her forehead.

Mira gasped. "What happened to her?" She panicked. Rushing over, and telling Natsu to put her in the Infirmary. Once he got there Mira pulled back some sheets and Natsu laid the woman in his arms down. Pulling the blankets up, Mira removed the bandage on the girls head, to clean the wound and redress it. He watched Mira clean the gash with alcohol, and redress it in a companionable silence.

When Mira was done, she silently gestured Natsu out of the Infirmary, to the main hall. Where she got back to cleaning the guild and was grateful for Natsu's help, who burned the trash and swept up the ashes. Then Mira remembered what might have happened earlier today.

"You know, I saved those flowers for you," Mira mentioned casually, while she was cleaning a glass. Natsu, on the other hand, dropped the broom in shock. He was gaping like a fish, and stuttering like a child learning to speak. It was comical, and Mira giggled at his reaction. 'He will probably avoid the topic now,' she sighed. 'fortune favor's the bold, right?'.

"Hey Natsu, those flowers, were they for me?" She timidly asks. Natsu blushed like molten steel, steam and all... And he just nodded. That was all Mira wanted, she squealed with tears in her eyes, and jumped over the bar in a flash of silver, only to appear again, hugging him to her bountiful bosom, happy beyond belief that Natsu had bought her flowers. Natsu on the other end was trying to stray from impure thoughts, Mira's goddess like body was pressed into his. Her perfect round breasts pressed into his face, and he slim waist pressed into his abs. He could die right now, and he would have died a happy man.

Mira of course, wanted Natsu to say the words, because she is a dignified woman, and deserves to be asked out properly. Holding him at arm's length, she told him just that.

"You're going have to say the words you know," Mira said, with a devilishly hot smirk on her face. And Natsu tried once, twice, and on his thrice attempt, he took a deep breath, looked her in the eyes, and said "Mira, you've always been there for me, will you go out with me?". Mira's reply, of course, was a big ol' smooch right on his lips. And he finally passed out, tired of the long day.

* * *

I will remove the girls who have made it into the harem, and I will keep the poll open for 1 last week.

(These are the chicks who are in the harem currently)

1 Erza Scarlet.

2 Sayla.

3 Irene B.

4 Ultear Milkovich.

5 Brandish Myu

6 Dimaria Yestia

7 Hisui E Fiore

8 Wendy Marvell

9 Julia Loxar

10 Lisanna Strauss

11 Meredy

12 Sherry Blendy (my pick.)

13 Ikaruga Ryu

14 Kagura Mikazuchi

And of course, these next 4 women will be in the harem.

 **Mirajane Strauss**

 **Cana Alberona**

 **Lucy Heartfillia**

 **Ur Milkovich**

* * *

And Onto the reviews.

Guest (chapter 3) I will add a vote to Wendy so that your vote gets counted. Lucy has to be in, which I will explain later. But please do try to get an account, because if u review before you can check for any polls, and can't vote. that would suck.


	5. Nothing will be the Same

Thank you for all the PM's, and reviews of people offering to help me write, and sort my ideas, I really appreciate it. I now have enough people to bounce ideas off of, without spoiling too much of the story (hopefully).

* * *

And now on to the story!

-Chapter 5-

Natsu's eyes fluttered open, and he was overwhelmed by the scent of lilies and the feeling of silk. It was soothing and relaxing. Taking a deep breath, he noticed the slight scent of mint as well. And only one person came to mind. "Mira..." Natsu exhaled. And then he gave pause, 'wait, where am I?' he thought. Too relaxed to panic, or care. He didn't even try to figure out where he was, he just didn't care. Lazily looking around, because who wants to get out of bed right? He saw the familiar walls of his own room. Giving a sigh of relief, he laid back down. He looked down, and noticed long beautiful silver locks, and knew exactly who it was.

"Mira..." Natsu silently exhaled. The last thing he noticed was his state of undress. Blushing up a storm he jumps out of bed in a panic, sprawling on the floor in a mess of blankets and limbs. Thus causing him to stir sleeping beauty... Sorry Aurora, Mira is way hotter. While he was trying to untangle himself from the web of silk, a quiet, angelic voice stopped him.

"Natsu?" Mira drearily asked, a cute tired expression on her angelic face, "what's wrong?" She yawned, stretching her arms up, causing her bountiful bosom to be revealed as she sat up, trying to find her boyfriend and lover. Any man would have died to see the scene. Mirajane's beautiful, voluptuous body rising out of the red maroon silk sheets, like a rising sun.

"Mira! What happened last night?" Natsu asks in a panic, not remembering what happened, that's alcohol for ya.

"Hmmm, lemme see... You took me on a date to a fancy restaurant. You were a perfect gentleman, by the way, props to you" she winked. "We both had a few too many glasses of wine, and then you confessed to me. A hot and steamy make-out session later, we end up in bed together, one thing after another we fall asleep after having sex" Mira recanted all of this with that happy angelic smile on her beautiful heart shaped face. Natsu on the other hand, wanted to commit suicide, 'I had sex with Mira, and I can't even remember it?!' anime tears were rolling down his face while he rocked back and forth on the floor with his thumb in his oral cavity, like an infant having a had a scary nightmare. Mira on the other hand just laughed.

"Don't wo..."

"Natsu! Natsu gimme fish!" A certain exceed cried, flying around like a maniac outside of Natsu's room. He had cleared out the pantry yesterday, and Natsu never got more groceries. Both Mira and Natsu panicked, running around whisper-shouting to each other, trying to get dressed, because Happy cannot keep a secret.

"Natsu!" Mira whispered, "Stop staring and get dressed." She giggled silently. She is naked as the day she was born, running around grabbing her clothes. It was a sight any man straight or otherwise would die to see. She was truly Ms. Fiore. Her silky white hair, as perfect as ever, cascading down her front and back. Her perfect round breasts that never sagged, with cute little nipples that were perky due to the cold. Her toned stomach and slim waist, wide perfect hips, and slim thighs. She was an angel... wait! no... She is a demon disguised as an angel!

"O-ok." Natsu blushed a scarlet red, he was having a hard time not to watch the pin-up model gracefully get dressed, but when she bent over to pull her panties up her pale, firm thighs, Natsu had a serious nose bleed, with steam coming out of his ears. He couldn't move, he just stood there watching Mira get dressed. Mira on the other hand, was not paralyzed by the fact Natsu was totally nude, she has a younger brother who she took care of as a teenager, and she has seen many other male models.

And suddenly the noise stopped, "Natsu..." Happy implored, "Are you talking to yourself?" Happy was hearing voices from Natsu's room but was too hungry to care who was speaking. This sparked the movement back into Natsu, he ran to his dresser to at least get some pants on. By now Natsu was going out of his mind, he didn't want rumors to start, and more importantly, he didn't want Mira to get heckled for it. Everyone at the guild saw Mira as a sister, or a niece, no matter how many times they flirted with her. She deserves the best, and in their mind, Natsu is nowhere near that.

"Mira! Go out the window, I'll burn the sheets! That way Happy can't smell anything!" Natsu said.

"Ok, see you at the guild honey!" Blowing a kiss, she quickly opened the window, she jumped out, landing gracefully and ran to get the guild ready.

Having not have gotten. An answer, Happy dramatically opens the door, having grabbed a photo lacrima just in case.

*SLAM*

"Put your hands up!" Happy cutely demands, hovering over the ground with a fake pipe in his mouth and a detective hat on his head, and instead of wearing his normal green bag, he has a dark gray trench coat on.

*FLASH OF LIGHT*

And a picture was taken. Happy had caught Natsu half stride walking to his closet to grab a vest. His hair is all disheveled, his jaw is on the floor, and there's a pile of ashes on the bed.

"What happened?" Happy inquiries, never having expected to see Natsu burn his red dragon sheets. That's right, he got laid with a model, and he has, or, well, had red dragon sheets, deal with it bitches.

And of course Natsu had no idea what to say, he had everything figured out, except an excuse.

"We-ll, -Um-mm, I w-as..." Natsu stuttered. 'Think Natsu! Think! What would Happy believe... Wait! It's Happy!"

"Let's go to the lake and go fishing ok? Nice fresh fish, how about that bud?" Natsu asked, already knowing the obvious answer.

"Aye Sir!" Happy replied, having all but forgotten, for now... Let's be real, nobody, not even Happy can be that stupid... right?

-Meanwhile at the Guild-

-Mira's PoV-

Mira was walking around, serving the guildmate with a real, full blown smile on her face. It was almost unnerving, no matter how many smashed plates, Broken tables, and terrible flirts, she was happy all day. It was really busy too, not a lot of people were on missions. Max and Warren were trying out an A-Class quest together, they were considering forming a team. Warren is the guilds resident telepath, who wasn't that bad with a sword. Max was the resident sand mage, who was good at long range combat, thus made them think they would be a good team. They I wanted to call themselves 'Silent Sand'. They wouldn't have to talk due to Warren's telepathy, and Max has sand magic, need I say more?

Macao was trying to teach Romeo fire magic, while Wakaba laughed every time he messed up an explanation, or spell. Cana wasn't drinking nearly as much as usual, Elfman was carbo loading. Makarov was doing paperwork, which meant one less perv to deal with. Miki was on another messenger quest. Nab was still standing at the request board, looking for the perfect job. Gray was, well, chilling beside Wakaba, also watching the father son pair. Levy and Lucy were both working on THE book. Levy was editing it, while Lucy tore her hair out due to writer's block. Reedus was painting Lucy's writer's block. Her hair all mangled and her clothes all wrinkled 'I have to ask Reedus about that painting later! I want to hang it in the guild!' Mira thought with an evil smile on her face, the Demon's still alive and kicking folks!

Jet and Droy were just, well, watching Levy, really creepily. At first, it was worrisome, but, over time Levy came to accept it, that's love... right? Cana had recovered well, her concussion had gone away, thanks to a healing lacrima, and the only way you could tell that she even got injured in the first place, was the fact she had a new wrap of gauze around her head. What was weird, was the fact she was actually wearing a shirt. Legit. ' I'm glad Natsu and her were able to resolve their issues' she thought while collecting dirty dishes. 'Cana can finally focus on getting stronger, and not try to drink her problems away. Natsu truly is a special man' she thought, which only made her smile harder. She was finally with the man she was pining for ever since she joined Fairy Tail, although she was slightly worried how the rest of the guild would react to that. 'it's definitely going to be amusing! And memorable at that, I just hope that they don't overreact. I know they just want the best for me, and for me to be happy... But Natsu makes me happy' she considered. The only thing that bothered her, or got her down, was when a council Messenger frog walked through the door.

"I am here on behalf of the council, to see Wizard Saint Makarov." The bipedal human sized frog stated. He was wearing a magenta cloak, and he had green spotted skin. 'Oh No! what happened now, to send a message in person...' She thought, as she put her tray down at the bar, and walked through the silent, worried crowd to the council messenger. She had a worried smile on her face, and traces fear in her heart.

"He's in his office at the current time," Mira said, "let me go-"

"There will be no need of that Mirajane" Makarov states, as he stands on the railing of the second floor, having had been notified by the council earlier about the frog-creatures presence.

"Please escort him to my office," he says as he turns around and slowly walks back to his office, worrying about what is going on.

\- 1 hour time skip-

"What's going on?!" Macao yelled in distress, worried that the meeting is taking so long. It seemed that none of the Fairy Tail mages had a good sense of style, or hygiene, one of the two anyway. None of them ever seemed to change their clothes. He was wearing his usual overcoat and necklace. Romeo had grown tired of his father and had gone looking for his role model, Natsu. Which pissed Macao off to no ends. 'I'm the more experienced fire mage! Why does he look up to _Natsu_ ' He silently moaned, he then took another drink of beer. Yep, can't understand why Romeo doesn't like a drunk father... Wakaba was also worried, but not as much

"Calm down, and drink up!" A certain lush replied, and for once, she was actually taking it slow with the alcohol. One might even say she had fewer problems to drink about. 'Natsu was right, I will tell Gildarts the next time he comes back' she thought, more determined than ever before.

"Whatever it is, Master is a manly man!" A certain muscle bound brute shouted, not really worried, 'Real men don't worry'! He thought. He was resting because apparently, you should wait a bit before exercising. Seems boring honestly. About an hour later the Council frog left the masters office, but, Makarov stated in his office. Which started a rumor that the bill was so large he passed out. Real mature Wakaba, real mature. Anyways, once Mira finished her shift, she went up to check on the master. Walking up the stairs, she noticed that neither Erza or Laxus were there, which wasn't unusual by any means. Making her way across the S-Class request board she noticed one was missing, which worried her even more, 'Natsu isn't on a mission, but, both Laxus and the Rajinshu tribe took a few S-Class, but that was a while ago, Mystogan hasn't been seen in a while, and the only other S-Class mage was Erza, who was currently training, so where did the request go?' She worriedly pondered. Once she finally reached the office, she knocked on the door.

"Please tell me it isn't another Council bill? Makarov yelled in distress. The door was closed, with light coming out from the crack between door and floor.

"Master, I came to see if you are alright, also, do you know anything about that missing S-Class request?" Mirajane asked politely, genuinely worried about her master's well being. Makarov was recently having some heart problems and was on medication made by the hand of Porlyusica herself, the old witch actually cared, at least that's the way it seemed anyways...

"I have the request right here Mirajane, come in, and I will explain what is going on..." Makarov sighed. In went Mirajane, and the master explained how the council had insisted on at least 2 S-Class mages going on this quest immediately, yes, an emergency Subjugation class quest. It was the Galuna Island Mission, there was a rumor going around that a demon from the book of Zeref was reported being seen on the cursed island, and since Fairy Tail had handled the last demon so well... You get the picture.

"Oh no! Master, we only have 2 S-Class mages currently in Magnolia..." Mira uttered, 'Natsu, and Erza? Working together? This won't end well... Erza's pride is hurt from the Eisenwald quest...' She speculated, already worried about what will go down.

"I know..." Makarov signed, already prepared to pay off thousands of dollars in respite. Nobody, nobody ignores an emergency S-Class mission.

-Erza PoV-

Erza was currently in a... bath? She was trying to relax after having all but depleted her magic container, she spent hours ex-quipping through all her armors, and summoning all her weapons, thus leaving her thoroughly drained. The whole purpose of this type of training was to increase her magical container, which would allow her to requip more, and fight longer. She was in her pristinely kept washroom, in her nice claw foot soaker tub, with strawberry bubble bath soap, and a bottle of wine. Apparently, that's relaxing? Who knows.

Currently, she was having a mental discussion about her last mission, the disbanding of Eisenwald. 'It was going well, everyone but Erigor was defeated, but then he too fell. Lullaby was an unexpected danger, however, between us, we would have defeated him, right? Only for Natsu to interfere! How dare he! I was the one who overheard the information, it was My quest! And I never allowed Natsu to come help, that arrogant ASS!'. Well, as you can tell, she isn't that happy. Seeing that the bath wasn't allowing her to relax, there was only one thing, left on the face of the planet, that can make her happy. 'I will go to the guild, and buy a Strawberry cheesecake' Erza decided, while her eyes just sparkled with joy. Cheesecake is a magical thing, you have to understand that. 'It is the perfect combination of strawberries and cream, with a graham cracker crust. It was a gift from the Gods' she stoically deduced.

She stood up, out of the water, and it was like time stopped. Her long, gorgeous scarlet red hair, was wet, sticking to her lithe, womanly form. Her bangs were like the gates of heaven. They covered her gravity defying bosom, but not hiding it. As she stood up her Ass was glistening wet, light reflecting off of it. Any man would die, if they saw this scene, no, Anyone, man or woman, would die of blood loss. She stepped out of the water, her whole, firm, toned form now visible. She was a perfect female specimen. Large firm tits with perfectly proportionate perky nipples., slim waist, wide child bearing hips. Perfect virgin pussy, firm toned thighs, and cute little toes. She grabbed her pink towel, and slowly dried herself off, rubbing herself down from head to toe. Once sufficiently dry, she re-equipped into her usual Hearts Kreuz armor and blue mid-thigh length skirt, which happens to be the exact same shade as her Fairy Tail mark on the outside of her left shoulder, which is usually protected by her shoulder guard. Her black knee high boots, and a sword strapped to her waist. She has the posture of a perfect soldier and the strength of one thousand men. She exits her bathroom, throws the wet towel into the washing lacrima, and leaves her Fairy Hills apartment. Walking out of her home, she walks over to fairy tail, and she smirks when she hears the panicked screams of her guild mates as they hear her thunderous approach.

Slamming open the large wooden double doors, she greets everyone, in an Erza Scarlet fashion.

"I have returned." She states in a serious voice. She walks over to the bar, the guild is dead silent, for the first time, since, well, Erza was last there... Anyways here heads over to the bar, where Mira is already preparing the meal the fabled 'Titania' will no doubt ask for. Yep! You guessed it, strawberry cheesecake and tea. Now, this is when you would expect Master Makarov to inform her of the emergency subjugation quest right? WRONG! Nobody interrupts cheesecake time. Not even the Master...

-Time skip- With Natsu and Happy-

Natsu and Happy are finally done eating fish, the sun has had started to fall. They were on their merry way to the guild. Happy was looking forward to reading a certain buxom blonde, while Natsu was thinking of scheduling another date with Mira.

Natsu was currently wearing, well, more of what he wasn't wearing. He had on his black jeans, with his usual open toed sandals. He had his white immaculately clean scarf secured tightly around his neck. And he lost his shirt... Maybe I should explain. Happy thought it would be a great idea to play a prank on Natsu, since their luck hadn't been great, and pushed Natsu straight into the river. And Natsu was so distracted thinking about Mira when he tried to dry his shirt, well. It's no longer a shirt...

Anyways Natsu was garnering quite a lot of attention from the female populace of Magnolia, sweat trickling down his perfectly chiseled abs and pecs. His back and arm muscles tensing with every arm movements. Let's just say Natsu's 'Hate Club's gained a few jealous boyfriends this day... . They walked/flew in a companionable silence, until a certain winged blue cat, thought of another way to get fish.

"Let's race back to the guild, loser buys all the fish!" Happy cutely exclaims, his small paw raised in the air while his eyes glistened at the mere thought of fish. That's called an addiction by the way. To constantly crave one thing, for it to always be on your mind... That's not healthy.

"You're on!" Natsu exclaimed, curious to see if his surrogate sons _Max Speed_ was on par with his _Flaming steps_. They stood/ hovered side by side, while they gave the countdown.

"3..." Happy muttered, while pulling out an old pilots helmet out of his bag. Strapping the goggles to his head. This is seriously insane.

"2..." Natsu whispered while stretching out his back and arms, causing a horde of pre teen girls to pass out of impure thoughts. Blood slowly trickling out of their perfectly make-up'd noses.

"1!" They shouted together, earning attention while their magical power built up.

"Go! _Max Spee-"_

 _"Go! Flaming steps!"_ they simultaneously yelled, citing their respective spells which caused them to disappear.

Surprisingly, they both arrived at the guild at roughly the same time, if recorded and slowed down you would have noticed Natsu appearing in an explosion of flames half a second before Happy slammed into the wall of the guild.

"Hah!" Natsu shouted gleefully, "I got here first" he victoriously claimed. Happy, not one to be out done by his 'lame dad', had a counter argument, no matter how dizzy he was, hitting the wall HURT!

"But I touched the guild FIRST!" Happy dizzily exclaimed, fish swimming around his head in a counter clockwise motion, while he shakily raised his left paw up, further emphasizing his argument. They continued arguing as Natsu did his ritual door opening ceremony, and by that, I mean kicking it open and seeing if they will fly off their hinges. Today was his lucky day, as a naked Gray had been walking towards the exit with a solo A-Class quest in hand, only to be bulldozed by a flying door. Thus launching him into the crowd of _"Pervy Old Men"_ which included Makarov, Macao, and Wakaba. The pervs were currently going over the most recent Sorcerers Weekly issue, which had a full 2 page centerfold of Mipostinging in sinfully black lace lingerie, with garter and stocking, in a seductive pose, and a come hither look on her face. Most of the men had fainted in happiness, while the main three were veterans, and were able to stay conscious, however being hit by a flying naked ice mage was the KO' hit.

Mira had asked Reedus to paint the passed out perverts, and when a cute girls asks you to do something... lets just say it was his best work ever.

The other door had smashed into Erza's table, whom was enjoying her seventh slice of strawberry cheesecake. This caused Erza's cake to fly straight onto Lucy's head, meaning it was inedible, that simple fact infuriated Erza so much, that she had to punish the perpetrator, Natsu, who really never saw it coming, because he was too focused in talking to Mira. So when Erza re-quipped her normal sword, and ran silently towards him, dragging the tip of the blade on the floor. She swung the blade up, hitting Natsu mid step, which hit him right into Team Shadow Gear's table while they were planning out their next mission. And of course Jet and Droy could NOT let this injustice pass, oh no. They had to prove themselves to Levy, that they were strong and fearless. And since Erza was so angry at Natsu, they prayed she would let them retaliate.

 _"High-speed Falcon Kick"_ Jet chanted, and with a burst of speed he rushed the bewildered Natsu who was too shocked to properly protect himself, and he was hit by Jet's magic coated foot, that launched h right into Droy, who was ready with his own spell.

 _"Knuckle Plant"_ Droy shouted, as he pulled his seeds out off his vest, and threw them at the floor in front of Natsu at just the right time, charging them with magic. As the seeds hit the floor, they sunk under the floor boards, and almost instantly caused the floor to erupt with a torrent of vines, that assaulted Natsu's bruised body with a volley of blows. And of course by this time Gray was up and ready to get his revenge, and unfortunately for Natsu, he was heading right towards Gray. Poor Natsu, he might die this day, and even though he lost his virginity to Mira, he can't remember a damn thing!

As Gray entered his classic ice make stance. His legs were spread shoulder length apart, his left hand held near his stomach, his right hand slammed down into the palm of his left as he yelled " _Ice Make Hammer_ ". His magic power instantly left his body and above his head, quickly forming into an intricate hammer completely formed out of ice. He grabbed it in his hands as he quickly swung it down, launching The flying Natsu straight through the floor into the basement cellar.

As the three barbaric males comically celebrated their small victory with hugs and weird dances coupled off with weird cheers, Natsu had finally recovered and he was none to happy. His magic power quickly towered around him, in an exploding typhoon of flames, jumping through the hole his own body made, he summoned one of his weakest spells.

 _"Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"_ He shouted in anger, as his magic formed into separate whips of golden red fire. When he swung his hands down, the whips lashed out at the celebrating threesome of idiots, while Levy and Lucy could only face palm at their stupidity. 'Didn't they really think those attacks could knock out a mage of Natsu's caliber?!' was the unanimous thought running through the onlookers heads. Erza had finally calmed down, and ordered another cheesecake, letting the boys beat Natsu up for her.

During this miniature brawl, as most of the main fighters like Elfman, Cana and Loke were on missions. Well, who knows whether Loke was actually on a mission, instead of a date... Anyways all of this rumbling commotion awoke the veteran Perverts. And while Macao and Wakaba thought this whole fight was hilarious, Makarov was down right pissed. 'Those Damn brats are at it again! Wrecking the guild hall... Wait, there's Natsu,' Makarov thought as he noticed both his S-Class mages were present. 'Now I can let them know about their mission,' he thought happily, until he realized he really should interfere...

Summoning his titan magic, he quickly grabbed all of his brats in his large giant sized hands, and squeezed them into submission... As weird as that sounds.

" You damn brats are going to make me broke!" The Wizard Saint comically cried. His actions not matching his title. Having had finally noticed he was holding a nude Gray in his hands, he quickly let go as he ran around crying, before asking Natsu to burn his hand off. And by this point Macao and Wakaba were laughing so hard they fell of their chairs, as they pounded the floor in an attempt to calm their laughter. On the other hand Mira, Lucy and Levy could only face palm at their "Wise Master's" actions. Erza was still enjoying her cheesecake, having somehow been able to ignore the whole scene entirely. When Makarov had finally calmed down, he remembered that his S-Class mages had to be ready and start their mission the following day, meaning they had to know about their mission...

"Natsu, Erza, please come to my office!" Makarov shouted as he hobbled his way up the stairs to his office. This shocked both Natsu and Mira, and worried Mira 'Please tell me it's not another one of **those** ' she thought, terror wracking her body as she dropped the glass she was drying off.

As Erza made her way up the stairs, having finally finished off at least a whole cake on her own, she was sedated enough that she didn't realize the gravity of the situation. But that doesn't mean she didn't notice Natsu turning around to go check on Mira for some weird reason. Well it wasn't a bad reason at all, however, her normal human ears were not able to catch the sound of breaking glass. So she called out. "Natsu! Upstairs now, before I show you just how irritated I am that you stole my quest!".

Natsu had ignored Erza, in favor of ensuring his girlfriend was alright, and that she hadn't cut herself. Which irritated Erza so much that she almost snapped. Sighing in frustration she made her way up the stairs, grumbling something about "stupid pink haired mages". As she reached the top of the stairs, she turned around to see what Natsu was doing, and just as she was about to yell, she caught Mira giving Natsu a kiss on the cheek. Which for some reason, made her even more mad.

-A few minutes ago- Natsu's PoV-

Just as Natsu was about to begin the short climb up the stairs to his "Gramps" office, his sensitive ears picked up on the sounds of glass breaking. So he went to investigate, having seen his girlfriend cleaning glasses not to long ago. 'I hope she's alright' Natsu worriedly thought as he reached the bar, somehow forgetting that he was dating _"_ The Demon _"_. As he rounded the edge of the bar, he sees Mira kneeling on the ground, with a dustpan in hand, slowly sweeping up the Broken glass.

"Are you alright" Natsu softly asks as he kneels down, taking the dust pan out of her hand and finishing the job for her. He might not have smelt any blood, but Mira doesn't just break a glass for no reason, she hasn't dropped one in years! And for some reason Mira just giggled, confusing poor naive Natsu.

"It's cute that you came to ask, but you need to go to Master's office," She said with her trademark angelic smile on her face as she started to stand up, brushing the dust and dirt off of her maroon dress.

"I love you, I'll always make sure you're okay!" Natsu declared, while somehow the only person to hear him was Mira. His comment made Mira's face light up like a Christmas tree, and her heart throb with joy, glad that she had fallen for such a kind and caring man. And as Natsu stood up, emptying the pan into the garbage, Mira realized he wouldn't go to see what master was asking him for.

"I'm okay, thank you for asking." Mira tittered, as she stood on her tippy toes to give Natsu a kiss on the cheek. It was Natsu's turn to blush as his girlfriend's public display of affection.

"Now go see Master!" Mira chastised as she used both her hands to push him away. As she took a few steps back, before turning around to put the dry glasses away.

"Alright! Alright, I'm going." He replied with a laugh, deciding he had made Makarov wait long enough. As he made his marry way up the stairs, he wasn't prepared for Erza's fury at being made wait. As he opened the door to his grandfather's office, he barely dogged the sword that was sent flying at his face, because Erza was done. She has finally had enough of this insolent child, as she not so fondly referred to him as.

"You're late!" She yelled, and she was about to go on, had she not realized she had made a scene in front of her own Master! She quickly turned and bowed, asking Makarov to hit her, as an accepting of her apology? Nobody really knew honestly. He just gave her a humored smile and asked them to sit down. Now he could give them the whole story, but he knows his surrogate grandson doesn't nearly have enough patience for that.

"You have an emergency S-Class mission, from the council themselves" he gravely states, as he lets the gravity of the situation sink in, and Erza realized just how bad it is. 'The council is constantly trying to disband Fairy Tail, so for them to give us the mission...' she silently thought, her face shifting into that of a battle hardened warriors expression, as she calmly waited for more information. And sadly, Natsu was excited. 'finally an exciting mission!' he thought giddily. The rush of excitement causing his left leg to bounce uncontrollably. Apparently, the Eisenwald mission wasn't nearly exciting enough, which is understandable. A weak demon and an even weaker dark guild doesn't make for an exciting mission. Having finally waited long enough, Makarov continues his explaining the request.

"Apparently a demon from the book of Zeref was spotted on the Island of Galuna, while a solo made was trying to break the curse there." He paused.

"The mage was never heard from again, they had apparently contacted a council member as an SOS, which brings us here. You two are to find, and eliminate the demon, and hopefully findthe missing mage as wel. That is your main priority. If you can break the curse as well, splendid, you are allowed to accept that mission if you choose to, you are only required to kill the demon, the choice is up to yo-" he was then cut off by his rude grandson.

"Fairy Tail never turns their back on anyone in need Gramps! You know this better than anyone!" Natsu proudly states, not even caring that he interrupted His grandfather. Erza on the other hand did.

"Don't be rude!" Erza snaps as she hits Natsu on the head, sending him to the floor, as Makarov watches in both pride and amusement. He was proud of his brats, he really was, but they all have their own way of showing their Fairy Tail spirit. If you can even call it that...

*Ahem* Makarov interjects, not waiting for Natsu to retaliate.

"Now, to the question of the day. Will you two be able to work with each other safely?" Makarov asks with a sad glint in his eye. 'I can't loose any more of my brats' he thought silently. Both of the mages before him were pillars in their own right. Erza was the disciplinary committee that everyone relied on, while Natsu was constant in every equation. No matter what you said to him he was always there when you needed him.

"I don't know Gramps, but for some reason Erza hates me!" Natsu comically exclaims while waving his arms around like a maniac. He had miraculously recovered from the hard blow to his head.

"You stole my mission" Erza argues, but she wasn't angry at all, having stated it like it was fact. She was so convinced that Natsu was seeking glory, so much so that he would take the final attack and steal the glory. She came to this conclusion because it's the only thing that makes sense... Right?

"Not this again..." Makarov sighed, having had already explained this to both Gray and Lucy the other day. All the while the two S-Class mages argued in front of hm while he was stuck in his thoughts.

"Enough! I gave Natsu that mission!" Makarov exclaimed, interrupting the two before it became a fight.

"Bu-" Erza stated, but before she could finish she was interrupted by Makarov.

"Seeing that you two cannot get along, I suggest you both bring a mage of your choice, to mediate between you two!" He yells, too tired to deal with all the drama that comes with being the master of fairy tail. 'I really need to retire' he sighs

* * *

Final Harem List. I capped it at 25. I'm sorry to all those who voted for Flare. She had to votes, however I made the final decision, and I apologize.

1 Dimaria Yestia

2 Erza Scarlet

3 Ultear Milkovich

4 Sayla

5 Julia Loxar

6 Sorano Agria

7 Yukino Agria

8 Irene B

9 Wendy Marvell

10 Kagura Mikazuchi

11 Hisui E Fiore

12 Milliana

13 Kyoka

14 Brandish Myu

15 Ikaruga Ryu

16 Jenny Realight

17 Minerva O

18 Sherry Blendy

19 Lisanna Strauss

20 Merudy

21 Mirajane Strauss

22 Cana Alberona

23 Ur Milkovich

24 Lucy Heartfilia

25 Celestial Spirits!

For those worried that Wendy will be underaged, she WILL be at least 16 at the Oracion Seis arc! Because as far as I am aware that is legal age. Send me a PM if she needs to be older.

* * *

Guest Reviews!

 _Guest- I have added your review, and we have had at least 4 extra votes for Milliana from reviews alone. I can understand that her new costume is hot, as hell! So, I have been persuaded by her costume to add her to the harem. I am not a perv, don't judge! She is literally hot as hell._

 _Guest21- I am aware that Virgo gave Happy her key, for Lucy. But in this little Au, they never did the Everlue arc. Therefore Virgo never gave Happy her key. Thus giving me the opportunity to write a new arc in which Virgo gives her key to either Lucy or Natsu. Not saying I will, but it's an option. Now I will probably be flamed for saying this, but the fact Lucy had so many Golden keys, was the only thing that made her useful. So for her to only have less than 8, instead of the 10, won't be good for herm it would only make her weaker. Speaking of the spirits, I was never fond of the spirit king arc(?) Where they have to fight the inverse of the spirits. So I will probably write my own arc at that point in time. Or just continue on anyways. I'm not sure if that was ova or not. Let me know in another review okay?_

 _Natsuharemsforev_ \- _Currently both Sorano and Minerva were voted through, as well as Milliana and Jenny. The poll on my profile is closed, and all results are open to being seen. SadlyKamika was not voted through. I made the personal decision to not add Flare to the harem, it is already really, really large if you include the Celestial Spirits. Thanks for reviewing!_

 _Thanks for reviewing by the way._

* * *

Please leave feedback on that mini fight scene. as I wanted to stretch the "fight scene muscles" before Galuna Island.


	6. The Missions that Changes Everything

**And now onto the story!**

Makarov sighed, taking a drink out of his mug while he let his brats sink in the information. 'The last time we had an emergency mission, Natsu lost his best friend... Here's hoping it doesn't happen again' he thought while he took a long swig of his fresh, cold beer. It wasn't that he wasn't confident in his grand kid and one of his strongest S-Class mages, it was that he didn't want to take that risk. Fairy Tail has lost one too many members to S-Class quests.

Natsu, on the other hand, wanted to blow a gasket. 'Being forced to work with Erza of all people, is so not cool! But, if there's one thing I've learned about Erza, she has her priorities straight... Let's just hope this demon doesn't have _Strawberry magic.'_ Long story short, when Erza first heard Droy had plant magic, she stormed towards him, and held him at sword point, interrogating him to see if he could make gigantic strawberries... He pissed his pants and passed out in fear. Natsu still isn't too bright, but he has a point, if someone could make strawberries with their magic, they're in BIG trouble.

Having long since decided to TRY and make his grandfather's life easier, he decided to try and think of someone to take on the job. Given that he didn't get along with most of the Fairy Tail members, he only had a few options. Both Gildarts and Laxus were out of the question. Gildarts had apparently disappeared on another century quest, having left a shoddily handwritten note on Makarov's desk, with beer all over it. Natsu would have been mad about that if he wasn't excited he could go on dates with Mira without fatherly interference. Plus, he was used to it. So he kept thinking as he stood up and started to walk out of the room. Laxus was out doing more S Class missions with his thunder legion, or as Natsu fondly called them "boot lickers", they only tolerated him because Natsu was Laxus' brother. That left him with Cana, Happy and... 'Wait a frigging second!' turning around he opened his mouth.

"Happy doesn't count Natsu." And before Natsu could interrupt, and argue Happy is a legitimate Fairy Tail member, and is quite knowledgeable, he powered on.

"Yes he is a member of Fairy Tail, but we both know he would enjoy you two arguing, instead of stopping you..." Makarov stated while he sweats dropped. Times like these made Natsu honestly believe Makarov knew telepathy magic. Which he never confirmed nor denied when asked.

"Ugh, Fine! I'll ask Cana or something..." Natsu muttered while he slowly made his way out of the office, and before he even passed the door frame a strong, cold, metal hand on his shoulder stopped him in his tracks.

"Meet me at the train station, at 7 am. Don't you dare be late!" Erza scowled while she walked passed him to go find Gray, one of the S-Class candidates currently in the guild. Plus he also helped with the last demon.

As she walked down the stairs to find Gray and tell him to meet her at the train station. Everyone stopped. Vijateer even stopped dancing, and Reedus' arm had stopped mid stroke. But to make that statement more correct, all of the men stopped moving, the ladies didn't care too much. Neither did Happy as he could be found napping on a folded up blanket Mira had put on the bar counter.

Cana was currently at the bar with all of her magical cards laid out, talking to Mira about what possible new card combinations she could come up with. This made Erza proud, as Cana was surprisingly the mage Erza favored to win the next S-Class exam.

Levy was nowhere to be found, apparently having had left on a translation quest on her own after seeing her teammates being beaten with a single attack, which she could tell wasn't even Natsu at full strength. She had however ensured that they were moved to the Infirmary after Mira had convinced Nab and Reedus to help. So after that, she had notified Mirajane about her quest and had it approved since master was in a meeting.

Laki was currently using her wood magic to fix the broken floor boards, which is a custom for her, as Makarov pays her to help repair the guild after brawls. Now some could speculate that this one of the reasons she hates guys so much, but that is still only speculation.

Lucy was at the job request board standing on the opposite a side as Nab. She was currently trying to find a quest that required an annoying, bodacious blonde with weird spirits... As you could guess, there weren't many options.

Gray was nowhere to be seen, having seemingly left after that mini brawl. If she looked closely she could have followed the trail of clothes, that started at the door. Yes, she didn't, So she then decided to go to the guild library in the basement to go and do some research on Galuna Island, and this mysterious curse.

Natsu, on the other hand, had to try and find someone he could TRUST to go on the S-Class quest because pretty much anyone would want to go, the rewards are that high. However some of them are just not strong enough, nor will they work with him, and most likely would try to show him up.

As he stood on the second floor, leaning on the railing, he looked around the guild, and he only had one, maybe two was seemingly looking for a job, or trying to talk to Nab, one of the two, and he really doubted it was the ladder. And Cana was talking to his girlfriend. 'I still can't believe she said yes!' he exclaimed in his head, having had a smile on his face beaming brighter than the sun. Only at the mere thought of Mira being his girlfriend.

Vijateer was dancing as usual, and Reedus was currently painting the sleeping Happy. Wakaba and Macao were drinking, having had woken up from being Gray-ed, and were none too happy about it. Natsu could already hear their drunken slurs and was none too happy about them flirting with Mira, but he couldn't really blame them either, well they're both married, so yeah he can. (A/N I know that in canon Macao isn't married, but I want Romeo to have a more stable family, with both parents together. It will make more sense later on.)

Jet and Droy were nowhere to be seen, but Natsu quickly noticed that he could smell them from the Infirmary, which made him feel a little bad. 'I hope I didn't hurt them too bad, I was just so mad' Natsu thought, while he clenched his fist in anger, being more than frustrated at his lack of control which has got him in trouble more than not.

So Natsu just decided to just talk to Mira about it, and have her help him chose because she is admittedly smarter than him, which he would admit to anyone without shame.

So as he made his way down the stairs, he ignored the geezer's drunken rant in why you don't throw naked people and made his way over to the girls. Surprisingly with Lucy in tow, apparently she couldn't find a solo job, go figure.

So on he went to the bar, ignoring both Wakaba and Macao who shakily stood up, and made their way to the holy book, Sorcerers Magazine. As he got closer his nose was assaulted with the magnificent scent of the two beautiful women, and he could over hear their conversation, which Natsu found pretty cool, and boring at the same time. Taking a seat at the bar, and checking on his little-furried friend, he patiently waited for them to be finished, but remember, this is Natsu.

So a fake cough later and the girls finally realized he was there. Causing a large smile to bloom across Mirajane's angelic face like the prettiest flower, while Cana looked on, already having a clue what was going on. And since Cana is so straight to the point, she wanted to help him, because he helped her, even if the end result hurts her. As of late, she has begun to see Natsu in a completely new light. When she had run from the guild heartbroken, he followed her! He could have stayed with Gildarts, or asked Mira out, but he chose to help someone who has shown him nothing but scorn. When she first woke up after hitting her head, seeing his silhouette in the fire light, and hearing his words, it made her grow a little of a crush on him. It's hard not to.

"So you going to ask her out?" Cana queries bluntly, causing both parties mentioned to blush lit a hot coal. That simple question made everyone stop mid step, mid drink, mid stroke. Not in fear, but in pure, unadulterated astonishment.

Their poster girl and every straight male's dream girlfriend is going to be asked out by Natsu?! And the more disturbing part, to them at least, was the factira of all people blushed! Mira, the women who gets asked out by celebrities and diplomats, millionaires and royalty, blushed about being asked out by Natsu, so of course this started a small outrage, as only a few members in the guild at the current time gave a shit.

Arguments of "It's not fair" and "He doesn't deserve her" rang out like water from a wet rag, causing Natsu to fall off of his seat in pain, his hands immediately cradling his sensitive ears. Of course Mira had ran around the bar as fast as she possibly could to check in Natsu, which only managed to anger the perverts even more.

Wakaba was literally steaming with rage, smoke coming out from both his ears and nostrils, while he was bent over and repeatedly dragging his left food behind his body in a threatening fashion. Controlling his magic, he yelled " _Smoking Charge"_ and using his magic, he tried to propel himself and attack Natsu, but Macao, the more reasonable of the two used his purple flames to conjure up a hand to try and hold Wakaba back. That wasn't the best idea, as he was slowly being dragged across the floor with his heels digging tracks in the floor boards.

The yelling and arguing got so bad, to the fact that Makarov left his office in his towering, terrifying miniature, but no less frightening titan magic form, and he reached over the railing, his pale enlarged hand grabbing Wakaba and stopping him in his tracks, aiding Macao in preventing Wakaba from attacking the Natsu, who was cradling his ears due to the yelling, but was overall fine, having had known Makarov would interfere.

"I swear to Mavis, I will never be able to retire! You brats make too much noise." Makarov's grumbled, having had shrunk down to his normal size, Wakaba having had passed out in his palm, and was now sprawled on the floor. Everyone else mumbled irritably and went back to what they were doing before the bomb dropped, but giving Natsu passing glares every other minute.

So as Makarov walked back to his office, Natsu slowly stood back up and sat on his chair with Lucy on his right, and Cana on his left, and Mira walked to the other side of the bar to get back to work. And somehow Happy was able to sleep through all chaos, but it makes sense, usually when Natsu would train Happy would go to the guild for fish. Natsu quickly changed the topic to the S-Class quest, preventing Cana from causing more trouble.

"Gramps told me about an emergency S-Class mission that me Erza and 2 others will be going in tomorrow!" Natsu quickly rambled off, knowing something like this would make Cana stop messing around. Mira gasped, Lucy was confused, and Cana was suddenly silent, but she noticed one thing.

"Who are the two others?" Cana suddenly asks, breaking the silence as quickly as it came. Lucy, was still confused. She hasn't been in Fairy Tail bear long enough to understand the danger of S-Class missions, nor the importance of emergency quests.

"I don't know, Gramps said that since me and Erza don't get along we need a buffer". Natsu sighed, irritated that he will most likely have to put up with Gray's arrogance, as well as Erza's hypocrisy. Gray is Erza's most obvious choice, given that he is almost S-Class himself, and the best currently in the guild for the mission.

"What about Happy?" Lucy asks, trying to help her friend, not really understanding what was going on.

"Gramps said Happy would only make us fight, not prevent it," Natsu said while both Cana and Mira nodded their heads in agreement, both having experienced the annoyance that is a blue flying cat.

"Oh, what's the quest about?" Lucy dumbly asks, hoping to learn about what this S-Class thing is.

"Apparently a demon from the book of Zeref, like Lullaby, was seen on Galuna island, so we're gonna beat the demon! Then help the villagers with their curse, hitting two birds with one stone!" Natsu exclaimed, excited at the prospect of a good fight.

Mira was instantly worried, demons are no joke, and she IS a demon expert. Plus Zeref is the strongest wizard ever known, even rumored to have been behind the Beast King that took her sister.

Cana, on the other hand, wasn't that worried. Natsu was trained by Gildarts, with aid of Both Makarov and Laxus, it's one of the reasons why he is so strong, not to mention he has kept his position as 6th wizard saint and is rumored to have a trial later on for 5th, which was neither confirmed nor denied by both Makarov and Natsu. Adding Erza to the mix is almost over kill. But that didn't mean there wasn't this quiet voice in her head, telling her about her crushes demise, that his lack of fore thought would be his down fall.

"Wait, who are the other people going on the mission with you, if you don't know who they are?" Mira asks with the most adorable confused thinking expression in her face that made Natsu blush.

"Gramps said me and Erza could choose someone. Do you know the details of the curse quest Mira? I forgot to ask? Natsu glumly replies, not looking forward to having to out up with Erza and Gray.

"I don't remember the details, but apparently part of the reward is a golden key..." Mira trails off, with her left pointer finger on her left cheek, and her head tilted to the right while her right hand held her left elbow. She wasn't aware of how her statement would cause Lucy to react. Cana was about to offer her help, but was interrupted by the buxom blonde.

"Please Natsu! You have take me with you! I need to pay my rent And I need that golden key! It must be one of the zodiac spirits!" Lucy explains loudly, stopping due to being out of breath, while the other three looked at her weird. Natsu was excited at the prospect of getting another golden key, but knew it was her only, primary magic, while it was one of his secondary magics. Cana obviously chose now to interject, realizing Lucy didn't fully comprehend the danger.

"You do realize how dangerous emergency S-Class missions are right? You could die" Cana starts, but she trailed off knowing how sore the topic is for the current company. Lucy paled, her complexion how sickly white, but her will surprisingly held strong.

"On the last mission, I stood back and did nothing, while everyone else fought. I'm tired of being weak, and scared. I'm going to make my mom proud!" Lucy determinedly declares, shaking her little face in the air. Her courage was inspiring, but... That's about it. Her face was pale and her hand was shaking like a leaf in a storm.

"So you aren't scared?" Cana skeptically asks. She never planned on going on this mission with Natsu unless he needed her to. 'I will go in my first S-Class mission after I win the trials. No more if I win, I will win" she thought. It was one of the reasons why she was talking to other mages about combo attacks.

"I didn't say that.." Lucy mutters with the most adorable blush on her face, which she was trying her damnedest to hide. Thus sending Natsu into an uproar of laughter while Mira watched with a smile on her face, happy that Natsu was finally making friends. Cana, just smirked, proud that her assumption was proven correct. Wanting to get back on track, Mira asked the question that has been bugging her.

"Do you know who Erza is bringing? It might help you decide who to bring yourself." She comments, trying to help her boyfriend out, because it will determine whether to bring Lucy or not. 'Having had watched Lucy try to catch Happy of all people... She had to use magic, and still had trouble!' Mira thought, worried that Natsu would settle for Lucy since Cana never offered...

"Erza will most likely bring the living Popsicle, given he not only helped with the last demon, and before you mention Elfman, he still can't do a full body take over. I'm not saying he isn't strong, but we both know he lacks control." Natsu states softly, grabbing Mira's hand part way through his speech when mentioning a full body take-over, knowing exactly what Mira would think.

A lone tear fell from Mira's left eye, a sad smile blooming in her angelic face, as she remembered what happened the last time Elfman attempted to do it, but she squeezed Natsu's hand and smiled on, letting him know it was okay. Cana just lowered her head, knowing how hard it still is for her. But, she was proud how Mira was handling herself. Lucy was feeling left out, not having a clue about what they were talking about at all. But for once she decided not to open those perfect full lips, and decided to wait and ask some other time, having had noticed Mira's tears.

Getting bored with the lack of drama, Cana just jumped straight to the point.

"Take Lucy on the S-Class quests. She really needs the experience." Cana said the taunt at the end said in a more sarcastic tone.

"Hey!" Lucy whined in the background, currently being ignored by both Mira and Natsu, who were having a conversation on whether she should go or not.

"Are you sure?" Natsu incredulously asks, knowing that the most Lucy did on the other mission was summon her spirits, and while she did help, overall a few arrows or an axe won't kill an Etherious demon.

"I agree with Cana" Mira states with a smile on her gorgeous face. 'Natsu would never let anyone get hurt' Mira thought, it was one of the reasons why she loved him so much. His selflessness was inspiring, to say the least.

"For which mission? The Galuna Island curse? or the Emergency S-Class?" Natsu ponders aloud, while Lucy has her fingers and toes crossed, wanting to go on this mission to learn and grow.

"Both," Makarov interjects from beside them on the bar, scaring the heck out of everyone else.

"I swear he has teleportation magic" Natsu grumbled while Cana laughed. he had not heard, nor smelled his approach, which annoyed the hell out of him. He's a _first generation Dragon Slayer_ for crying out loud! And the fact he couldn't hear an old man walk pissed him off to no end. 'Shouldn't their joints sound like metal scratching metal?' Natsu curiously ponders, while everyone else is trying to figure out exactly what Natsu is thinking about.

"Alright! fine, I'll take Lucy. But on one condition, you have to help, no more sitting on the side lines, if there's a fight it's yours first, and I'll intervene when needed." Natsu said looking at Lucy, knowing that he has to give her a push, but can't risk her life and leave her alone, he would never forgive himself if she got hurt.

"Yes! I won't let you down!" Lucy said jumping up in the air, somehow suspended mid air.

"The hell" Wakaba mutters as he stares at her.

"Um, can I get some help here?!" Lucy screams as every male but Natsu was staring at her. Unlucky for her though, as Natsu was too busy talking to Mira while Cana was laughing her figurative ass off.

-Time Skip! Now at Sundown- With Erza- (This is going to be rushed on purpose, so this story starts to actually go somewhere, otherwise this could be another filler chapter.)

Erza had run into Levy in the library. Surprise, surprise, anyway the petite bluenette was more than happy to help Erza research for the Emergency Quest. However, they had learned nothing of Zeref, nor his demons. Levy almost cried when she thought she struck gold, only to find pages were ripped out of the book. Erza had noted that the council had redacted certain information and documents about Zeref, and she had assumed that they did it so nobody else would stumble upon his most dangerous and treacherous creations. Sadly since Erza views herself as an authoritative figure, she believes other figures are just as pure as herself, except a few, namely Siegrain. When Levy left to go find a quest for the following day, Erza decided it was finally time to go and find Gray. As luck would have it, that wasn't too hard. As she left the library, she ran into Gray who was standing in a pair of jeans for once, with his hands in his pockets, and no shirt on. But on the plus side, he was actually wearing real pants, so the good definitely out weighed the bad on this day.

"Gray, we have a mission tomorrow, meet me at the train station at 7 am" She called out before leaving the guild, not even staying long enough to hear Gray's questions about the quest, what the pay was, or what he needed to be prepared, which pissed him off, so much so that he cursed her name.

"Fuckin- Erza," Gray muttered, and to his misfortune, Erza overheard him and beat him into submission, and left after eating her last slice of cheesecake for the day, before making her way to Fairy hills to hit the hay.

-The Next Morning- Lucy's PoV-

Lucy was pumped the next morning. She had taken the last of her spending jewels, and bought a good first aid kit since she figured that is where she would be most useful. And she used her Gale-Force reading glasses to read about common curses to further her knowledge since she knew knowledge was definitely her strongest area, and what could make her most useful. As she took her morning shower, the warm beads of water cascading from the lacrima behind the curtain, flowing down her beautiful, voluptuous body. Her blonde luscious hair was matted to her skin and was darker than its usual yellow due to the water. The beads of water flowed down her perfect body, down her slim shoulders to her large gravity defying breasts, down her slim toned stomach to her wide hips and full thighs, all the way down to her perfect cute toys.

As she was lathering the soap, she went over who was going on the mission, and who would take what role. Natsu was definitely the powerhouse of the group, his fire magic explosive and uncontrollable which makes him a hard hitter. Plus now that she wasn't mad at him about Lullaby, she could obviously tell, as she went over her memory of the fight, that both Erza's blades, Gray's spears, and Elfman's punches had minimal effect. But of course she also doesn't fully comprehend slayer types and their uses quite yet.

Erza was definitely the leader, and for good reason as well. Her ability to change armors makes her unpredictable, plus her ability to keep calm under pressure, and her scary disposition makes people follow her, whether due to fear or admiration you really couldn't tell. Her beauty was more than skin deep, but her personality was that of a rose with thorns. She loved you, but will hurt you to help you learn, Lucy has already witnessed more than enough of the hurt. Gray hand't been able to walk home last night.

And Gray, well, she had no clue about what role he had. Does perverted moody stripper count as a team role? 'Wait! He's the ranged attacker!' Lucy decided, and while that really isn't really a role, it still works. As she stepped out of the shower and grabbed her pink towel, all she could think of was how glad she was that Natsu had chosen her to go on the quest, and she definitely didn't want to let him down. 'I wouldn't even be in Fairy Tail if it wasn't for Natsu. I owe him everything and the only thing he's asked for is friendship. He's one of the nicest people I've ever met. So why do most of like, everyone hate him?' She pondered while she was doing her hair. after she finished tying it into her usual side tail, so she grabbed her bag, making sure she had a first aid kit, her keys, and extra money. Oops, she almost forgets her on-the-go makeup kit.

As she was leaving her apartment, she was surprised to run into Natsu and Happy, who were waiting outside her door. She was so surprised she dropped her bag with a screech, which Natsu promptly caught before it fell to the floor, giving it to her with that adorable cheeky smile on his face, which made Lucy blush like a fully ripened tomato.

"I think you dropped this?" Natsu asked while he stood up with a dramatic flourish, while Happy laughed at seeing his favorite teasing target so scared.

"Thanks" Lucy stuttered with a blush as she was locking her door, and what surprised Natsu was that her house key, was on her Celestial Key ring. 'To each their own, I suppose' Natsu thought as he turned around and started exiting the building, to go to the train station. Lucy noticed him leaving and quickly rushed to catch up to him, and when she tripped on an uneven walk way Natsu was there to catch her as she fell.

"Slow down! Don't need to be that excited about the mission!" Natsu chortled as he picked her up by her shoulders, and set her back down on her feet, causing Lucy's face to look almost like Erza's hair. And Happy just kept on laughing, which normally would have annoyed Lucy, but there were honestly more important things to worry about. Plus she needs to save her energy for the mission.

"Hey, why were you waiting for me outside my apartment? More importantly, how do you Know Where I LIVE?" Lucy asked as she progressively got louder by the end of the last question.

"Which one do you want me to answer first?" Natsu asked with a smirk, which made Lucy both annoyed, and a little flustered. 'He is kinda cute' Lucy thought as she had a faint blush on her cheeks, but after remembering Natsu asked her a question, she answered quickly.

"In order I asked to please" Lucy replied as they were now walking side by side down the street, heading towards the train station. Happy had decided to sleep on Natsu's head since Lucy wasn't falling for his taunts today.

"Well, I wasn't sure if you remembered where the train station was, so I smelled out where you lived to make sure you got there on time." Natsu said as he scratched the back of his neck. Lucy was honestly touched, and happy that she was able to reconcile with him. 'He's so sweet, no wonder why Mira likes him' Lucy thought with a pretty blush on her cheeks. Then she noticed something that seemed, a little weird.

"Wait! you SMELLED ME?!" Lucy screeched, as she slowly backed away from Natsu, thus waking poor sleeping Happy up, and confusing Natsu to no end.

"Didn't Happy already tell you about dragon slayer senses? I have the nose, ears, eyes, and strength of a dragon." Natsu said as he was still confused. 'I swore I heard Happy tell Lucy this in Hargeon before I brought her to fair tail...' he thought.

"Oh, that isn't always a blessing is it?" Lucy asked as they were just only a few blocks from the train station.

"Finally someone understands!" Natsu cheers as they round the bend and see both Erza and Gray waiting at the train station. Gray looked annoyed, while Erza looked down right pissed, but the effect was diminished given the mountain of luggage beside her on a trolley, but still almost scared her almost non-existent skirt off her pretty little legs.

"You're late!" Erza yelled as they approached, making Lucy hide behind Natsu while Happy just flew on the side line, snickering at his "Fathers" misfortune.

"Erza, your clock is 5 minutes ahead remember?" Natsu sighed while he walked past her into the train station, to go to Hargeon once again. When Erza checked her clock, she blushed a little because he was right, and swiftly turned around and boarded the train. Leaving a shell-shocked Lucy and an annoyed Gray.

"I really thought the flame brain was gonna get it" he sighed while he grabbed his bag and boarded the train.

Once they were all seated, there was a thick, awkward silence permeating the air, which Lucy felt she needed to cut.

"So, uh, what's the plan for the quest?" Lucy asked, as the mood in the air almost made her want to scream in fear. Gray was annoyed, Natsu was trying, and failing to fall asleep, whether it was because of Happy eating a fish on his lap, nobody knew. Erza was sharpening her sword, and the constant sparks and the loud grinding noise annoyed everyone, but most were too scared to admit it.

"Find the demon, kill the demon, stop the curse. Easy 3-step plan!" Happy cheered as he threw his fish bones out of the train window, causing Natsu to scold him, even though he had a small smile on his face.

"I don't think it is going to be _that_ easy..." Lucy hesitantly replied, starting to worry for her safety, causing Erza to speak up, as she had finished sharpening her sword, and was now sipping a cup of tea that came out of nowhere.

"Happy only knows the bare minimum," Erza stated in her usual cold tone, almost causing Lucy to shiver.

"We are going to do reconnaissance first, then go talk to the Villagers to see if they know either where the missing mage is, or where the demon is. If they do, we rescue the missing mage and eradicate the demon, otherwise we keep searching." Erza said while she set her cup of tea down on her plate, making Lucy wonder where it came from, but was ultimately too scared to ask.

And that was the end of all conversation until they reached Hargeon, Natsu was napping, Happy was munching on fish, Lucy was reading, Erza was, well, sitting? And Gray was also napping. Once they reached Hargeon, Natsu stood up startling Lucy, as she had thought he was asleep. And one by one, they stood up off the train, and all started heading to the harbor while Lucy was window shopping as they went by. She had to grab Happy multiple times as this is a fishing town, fish are everywhere. Happy tried for at least seven different fish vendors while the other mages kept walking in an uncomfortable silence. Once they reached the harbor, Natsu stopped making Lucy curious and the others annoyed. Taking a deep breath and looking around, Natsu knew exactly which boat to go to.

"I found a boat, follow me."Natsu said quietly enough nobody but his fellow Fairy Tail members heard him. Lucy followed happily, excited for her first official mission as a fairy tail mage. Which also happened to be a S-Class mission as well. Both Erza and Gray shared a silent look, and Gray just shrugged before following Natsu with his hands in his pants, having had lost his shirt, shoes, and socks on the train. Erza simply sighed while pulling her large trolley full of luggage behind her, making some kids look in awe, and a drunk homeless person slaps himself in the face, believing they were hallucinating. When Natsu stopped they were in front of a man who was tending to his small wooden boat but had noticed the mages walking up to them. Natsu had decided to make this very simple.

"6th Wizard Saint Natsu Dragneel requesting passage to Galuna Island" He quietly said, quickly re-quipping his wizard saint jacket onto his body, causing the man to drop his equipment in shock, and joy. Gray looked away with a "tch" annoyed at the Flame Brain's use of power to manipulate people. Erza was only reminded of a certain blue haired man, and she felt her heart hurt, making her grab her chest with her right hand, as her left was pulling her luggage.

"Finally! this is a wonderful day! Come, come lets go break the curse!" the man shouted gleefully. 'Never would I have ever thought they would send a wizard saint to break the curse!' he thought in shock. Lucy on the other hand, was confused, 'What's a wizard saint? And why is he so happy that We are going to the island?' she pondered with her left hand on her chin, the cliche thinking position. Natsu and Happy jumped in the boat, while gray quietly stepped in. Erza was stuck looking between her trolley of luggage, and the boat, and everyone quickly noticed that it wouldn't fit, and that she didn't want to part with her luggage.

"For the sake of Mavis.." Natsu grumbled while he hopped out of the boat, and walked over, leaned down and touched the base of the trolley. With a surge of magic he quickly re-quipped the whole trolley, shocking everyone present. Even Erza has never been able to re-euip that much without magic, while the boat owner had a large, shit-eating grin on his face. 'This Curse is going down...' he thought with a smile.

Natsu stood back up straight and motioned to the shocked Erza to get on the boat. 'I never even knew he could requip' she thought as she gently stepped onto the boat.

Once everyone was finally onto the boat, they set off to the cursed Island of Galuna. The boat owner quickly introduced himself as Bobo, and quickly started a conversation with Lucy about books. Happy was hanging on to the edge of the boat trying to catch some fish, and Natsu had to keep pulling him back by the green bag on his back trying to prevent Happy from swimming with the fishes. When Bobo made the announcement that they were almost there, Gray noticed there was a purple dome around an island, which he assumed was their destination, so he quickly announced it to his fellow mages.

"Hey, you guys see that?" He asked while pointing at the purple dome, while Happy was still trying to catch fish, forcing Natsu to grab him and hold him by the scruff of his neck, and look towards the island, forcing him to not notice Bobo flying away. As everyone was entranced by the purple dome, only Happy noticed the incoming wave, and knew exactly handle it.

"Natshu! There's a big wave coming! Save me!" Happy cried hysterically as he was bawling his eyes out at the thought of getting wet. Lucy was panicking, not wanting to have runny make up, while Gray was still chillin', not completely worried because as much as he and Natsu don't get along, his flames are the strongest he's ever heard of. And Erza was just sitting back sipping tea while she watched to see how the other mages would handle it, given that this is a minor problem nobody would die from. Finally succumbing to the cries of both Happy and Lucy, Natsu turned around opened his mouth, and yelled ' _Flame Cascade'_ while holding his left hand out, the one not holding Happy, and multiple balls of white fire flew from his hand into the tidal wave, evaporating it. Ignoring the cries of thanks from the two, he quickly noticed someone was missing.

"Hey, where's Bobo?" Natsu asked, causing everyone to look around, and they all came to the same conclusion.

"What?!"

* * *

About Laki helping to repair the guild, if you remember there have been other images strong enough to manipulate their element even if it is not of their own making, like Totomaru. And honestly, Laki never had enough screen time, same with characters like Mickey and Kinana to name a few.

* * *

And onto the reviews!

 _Guest- I am going to be completely, 100% honest with you. I still haven't found a legitimate reason for most of Fairy Tail to hate Natsu. I can agree it wouldn't make sense, but while writing this I just had the best reason! Ok, all will be explained! I have to write this down! Not here though, sorry. Thanks for the idea!_

 _^^^ With that, I can't have it explained for a long time. I apologize, but it is really the only real answer I can come up with. I just hope it is worth the wait._

 _Bob of dragons- Well here it is! Hope you enjoy it! In case you didn't notice update schedule is in the summary. I completely understand a review like that though, I've written hundreds of them myself._

 _Thanks for reviewing._

* * *

Sorry if Natsu is a little, well maybe a lot OOC, but do remember he was not scared of learning because of Erza, and plus both Laxus and Makarov were a constant influence in his life, so he is a lot more intelligent than canon.


	7. He Who Holds All the Cards

And on to the story.

Natsu wasn't honestly too worried about Bobo's disappearance. It was obvious to everyone because while Erza had re-quipped into her S _ea Empress Armor_ and had jumped overboard to search the seas for the "poor man". It is a revealing blue and green armor. The breastplate that barely covers Erza's breasts resembles seaweed. The pauldrons are composed of green plates and decorated by prominent fin-like ornaments. The gauntlets only cover Erza's forearms, leaving her biceps exposed, and is decorated with prominent ornaments jutting out in whirl shapes, reminiscent of seashells. The armor lacks a waist guard; instead, Erza is geared with a dark black bikini, and a long pale green cloth, with its edges reminiscent of fins that circles her waist on the back and the sides. It is connected to her shorts by pendants shaped like starfish. The greaves possess fin-shaped protrusions in correspondence to Erza's ankles, and extend up to her knees, with her thighs being covered by jagged parts made of cloth. The outfit is completed with a large metal part covering her forehead, bearing a whirl-shaped wave on it, and large fin-shaped protrusions on her head. She feared that he was so scared of the wave that he fell overboard.

"I hope he didn't drown," she said as she resurfaced to check in with everyone else, only to instantly grow infuriated at the fact Natsu was lounging on his back, and not searching at all.

Lucy had summoned Hologrium and was currently asking him for information on Bobo, while Happy was taunting her on how her spirit fell asleep, which was true this time.

'How could a Wizard Saint be so irresponsible?' Erza pondered aghast as she grabbed the edge of the boat and flipped it over to catch Natsu's attention, which happened to scare Lucy to no end. She screeched as she plopped into the water with a splash. Luckily for Happy he summoned his _aera_ and hovered a foot over the water while Natsu fell onto the water in the same position he was resting in, causing him to simply float on the water.

"Why are you resting?! Bobo could be seriously hurt!" Erza protested while she watched Natsu relax while Happy decided to land on his father's abdomen to conserve magic power.

"Chill Erza, I can promise you he is fine" Natsu replied while Gray finally resurfaced and started talking to Erza.

"Any luck? I got nothing... WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BOAT?!" Gray yelled as he couldn't see it in sight. And then he realized Natsu wasn't searching at all, rather choosing to laze around and relax.

"Flame Brain! Why aren't you helping?" Gray badgered him, frustrated that the all mighty Natsu was resting while everyone else was working.

"As I told Erza, I can promise you that Bobo is perfectly safe," Natsu replied with his eyes closed, while he was focusing on his other senses, already listening for any proof of a demon. The troubling fact was he couldn't find any. 'I wonder, the council wouldn't risk sending both me and Erza unless they had proof. So how...' he pondered completely ignoring Lucy defending his case.

"Maybe he knows something we don't?" Lucy suggests, trying to mediate like she was asked.

"What? This Flame Brain? Knowing stuff? I doubt it" Gray sniggered as he started swimming to the island, with Erza in tow. 'Natsu does have both an enhanced sense of smell, sight, and hearing. Wait, why did he take to Bobo instead of someone else? What isn't he telling us...' Erza considered as she started the half kilometer swim to the island.

"Natsu!~ Let's go. I'm hungry" Happy complained as he flew up waiting for Natsu to flip onto his stomach so he could ride on his father's back.

"Alright, alright. I'm coming!" Natsu laughed as he flipped over onto his stomach, as he himself started swimming towards the island with Happy on his back, hanging onto Natsu's back.

Lucy had decided to swim over to Natsu and ask why he wasn't helping since Erza and Gray were out of earshot.

"Why didn't you help?" She quietly asked. 'If he is a lazy bum, then he isn't worth defending.' she decided as she started swimming beside Natsu. The cold was getting to her as she started shivering, which Natsu quickly took notice of as he sighed and tapped Happy's back, warning him of what he was about to do.

"I'll tell you later. First, let's get you out of the water okay?" Natsu said as he dived back down into the water, only to later resurface with wings of red fire which he used to propel himself out of the water. As Natsu flew up he quickly grabbed Lucy by the arms and flew over the water. Causing Lucy to scream in fear.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! PUT ME DOWN!" She screeched while Happy laughed maniacally, enjoying Lucy's fear.

"Do you trust me?" Natsu asked as he pulled her up and held her waist while they hovered mid-air, causing Lucy to blush like a tomato.

"Yes," she mumbled as she closed her eyes, enjoying the hug-like embrace. She was embarrassed by her screaming and flustered by the close contact with Natsu. However, she did notice that she was starting to warm up, and was surprised to feel that her clothes started to dry which confused her as to how. So she opened her eyes and screamed in fear, as she noticed both she and Natsu were completely engulfed in bold, orange flames.

"What are you doing!? Wait, why are we not burning up?" She hoarsely questioned, her lungs sore from all the screaming.

"I can control what my flames burn. I am the fire dragon prince for a reason Ya know." Natsu teased as he pulled his wings around them and dove down quickly gaining speed. Just when they were about to hit the water he unfurled his wings causing them to stop torpedoing into the water, and zoom across the top of the water causing a spray of the sea to fly over Gray and Erza who were none too happy about it, even though they were already soaked. They watched Natsu carry Lucy, and both of them took the inspiration to heart. Erza quickly re-quipped into her _Blackwing_ _armor_ , and grabbed Gray by the shoulders, and flew into the air following Natsu to the island.

As soon as they landed on the sandy beach surrounded by jungle, they started checking on their supplies, while Lucy was staring at Natsu with affection, once again glad that she was one of the few he called a friend.

Natsu had sat in the Lotus position on a tree stump on the edge of the forest area, and began to meditate, ignoring the sounds of Erza and Gray trying to locate their current position in an old, faded map to locate the cursed village. He combed through the forest, searching for either the demon or the village. Once again he found no scent or scoundrel of any demon which continued to befuddle him.

'Finally!' he thought as he stood up straight without checking his surroundings, which he didn't regret immediately, seeing as he stood straight up into the bountiful bosom of the bent over Lucy. 'So weird, they are soft but firm at the same time!' he thought while Lucy stepped back, screaming incoherently at Natsu, who was on the receiving end of a _Lucy Kick_ which was surprisingly well aimed, causing him to fall to the ground like a sack of stones in agony.

Gray overhearing the ruckus looked over only to fall to the ground, literally dying in laughter at the thought of a wizard Saint being taken out by a nut shot.

After hearing Gray fall to the ground, Erza let go of her focus and looked around, only to worry seeing all of her teammates on the ground for one reason or another. Gray of laughter, Lucy of worry, and Natsu in pain.

"Oh no! It's the curse!" Happy declared, having had woken up from a nap, only to see everyone on the ground except Erza, who was confused, having never heard of a curse that acts this fast. Luckily before anyone else could jump to any conclusions, Natsu had an immediate recovery surprising both Lucy and Gray.

"What the Hell Luce!" Natsu declared, apparently not caring whatsoever about Happy's quick thinking, and like any man was more worried about his dragon.

"I'm sorry! I didn't- Well I mean I did, but not there! I promise!" Lucy exclaimed while frantically trying to think of a way to help him. Having had drawn a blank Lucy just sighed, and held out her hand for Natsu to use as an aid to standing.

Deciding to forgive her, Natsu grabbed Lucy's hand and stood up, only to fall back down into laughter seeing the bewildered expression on Erza's face, schooling Lucy who turned around, only to snicker into her other hand in amusement. Gray, never stopped laughing.

Having finally decided that they had wasted enough time, Erza quickly demanded everyone stop fooling around, scaring all but Natsu into standing in a line, like soldiers. Pulling out her map, she told Happy to fly up and tell her where they were on the map, so she could navigate their way to the village, and just as Happy was about to follow his orders from Erza, he was told otherwise by Natsu, scaring him into confusion. 'Erza is scary! But I should do what Natsu says... Oooh, Fish!' Happy thought, his train of thought being interrupted by his favorite food as usual. Gray quickly began to literally shake in fear, as Erza's face began to glow red, signaling her temper about to explode.

"Don't waste your magic Happy, follow me!" Natsu cheered while he started to comically March into the underbrush of the woods, making his way to the village, causing Lucy to snicker into her hands while Gray was holding the silver cross pendant around his neck while prostrating, praying to Mavis that he makes it out of there alive.

By this point, smoke was flowing off of Erza head, and her head comically increased size in a way only an anime could.

"WHY CAN'T YOU TAKE SOMETHING SERIOUSLY FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE! THE MOST USEFUL THING YOU'VE DONE THE WHOLE TIME IS GET US A BOAT!" Erza bellowed down at Natsu who paused mid-stride due to her rant. Sighing he turned around to explain himself.

"I never looked for Bobo because I know he wasn't there. If he fell into the water I would have heard it. And I know where the village is, it's why I told Happy not to waste his magic. I do apologize though, I should have voiced this sooner instead of wasting the time, but I wasn't completely sure, and I didn't want to take that risk." Natsu calmly explained to his teammates, causing Erza to calm down.

"I'm sorry, I should have asked instead of yelled, Please hit me," Erza replied while bending over, creeping both Natsu and Lucy out, while Gray only sighed in annoyance, because he was already used to Erza's masochism.

"Since you're being so forthcoming now, why did you take us directly to Bobo? And how else could he have disappeared?" Lucy queried while Gray got up off the ground, looking to the sky once more in thanks.

"That... I don't know." Natsu replied with a wink directed at Erza which neither Gray or Lucy noticed, causing them to sweatdrop, while Erza bit back a question, already realizing Natsu knew exactly why and just wasn't going to disclose anything yet. 'He's more than I expected...' Erza pondered. She would never have thought Natsu is more observant than her.

"Onwards peasants!" Natsu declared while he restarted marching towards the village while Happy giggled.

"Aye sir!" he cried while he flew over onto Natsu's shoulder.

"Why do I have to follow YOU of all people!" Gray moaned in anger, only to end up flying into a tree after Erza backhanded, causing Happy to gape.

It was a short, boring walk for, Natsu, overhearing all the disdainful mutterings of Gray, hearing Lucy cry and shout because of mosquitoes, while Erza was silent, vigilantly constantly looking around for any clues. After about twenty minutes of climbing over fallen trees and much complaining, they finally reached a fifteen-foot wall made of logs tied together that stood up on their end. There was a cut out of a door, that was also made of logs. As soon as they approached the door they were spotted by the watch, calling "who goes there!".

Erza was about to reply, but Natsu held up his left hand, signaling her to quiet down, which she realized was better. Wizard saints are like Gods, best to lead with your strongest foot. She gave Natsu a nod with her head, letting him know she agreed with his point.

"Sixth Wizard Saint, Natsu Dragneel here to deal with the curse. I am accompanied by my fellow guild mates, including the famed Titania" Natsu formally stated with a short bow after requipping into his custom wizard saint jacket. It was far from what the 10 wizard saints have ever seen before. It was a one-armed black long cloak with the wizard saint emblem on his left pectoral. The jacket was outlined from the hood to the hem with gold ribbon. Gray wasn't too happy about not being introduced, and definitely not too happy about Erza just bowing down to Natsu! 'Why in the name of Mavis, is Erza of all people listening to a fool like Natsu!" he internally complained, just as he was about to voice his protest, he felt the heavy, heated gaze of Erza on his back, causing him to shiver in fear and stay silent, if only to live to see another day.

The village watchmen almost fainted in shock, never would they have ever thought one of the wizard saints would come and fix their curse. Their astonishment was quickly overcome by the pure elation of being free from this demonic curse. They quickly scurried to the gate and struggled to move the pure log door as fast as they could, if only to bask in the presence of a God. The Fairy Tail members watched in astonishment, and a little pride as Erza used her telekinesis to move the large, heavy door for the watchmen, quickly garnering the attention of essentially everyone in the village, causing some to gape, and others to watch in shock. But one thing was common between all of them, they all felt something they haven't ever since the wretched curse destroyed their lives.

Hope.

The Village elder was the first to break out from his shock, and he rushed his friends to welcome the Fairy Tail members, causing Lucy to feel a little trepidation as the villagers swarmed them, their cloaks falling and they're demonic parts showing. Natsu only smirked at seeing the rushing villagers, and slowly walked forward to meet them, Erza slowly following, while Gray, was sadly being chased around by a mother with a demonic tail for stripping in front of the women's daughter, causing both Lucy and Happy to laugh in delight as he screamed his apologies.

Once the meet and greet was over, Erza got straight to business, asking the village elder a series of questions about the curse, including what they have tried to cure it before hand, and was suspicious of the lack of information she received, while Lucy was honestly still a little creeped out by the demon parts. Gray was currently hiding behind a village house, peering out around the corner and listening to the information. His past interfered with his ability to focus and stay calm. However, he was completely infuriated with the scoundrel who cursed the people into being demons, not at the villagers themselves.

Even Erza was visibly cringing when the purple moon rose, causing the villagers to revert to their demon forms with moans of pain and discomfort. Lucy was visibly afraid, her beautiful face pale, and her whole body was shaking like a leaf in a wind storm. Gray growled in anger, seeing the same child cry in pain and sadness at their own transformation. Natsu wasn't visibly surprised, shocking Erza, as she never believed he was so perceptive, but all this did was leave her with even more 'what ifs' and 'whys'. However he did walk over to Lucy, putting a hand on her shoulder, while calling out to the village leader, Moka, asking if they could spare a roof for him and his friends, which the village quickly brought them too, almost causing Lucy to scream in fear as the demons approached, only for Natsu to wrap her in his warm embrace, covering her eyes to calm her down, whispering sweet nothings into her ear.

Instead of deciding to wait for Lucy to calm down, Natsu picked her up bridal style, pushing her face into his shoulder while they all walked towards their hut, to sleep for the next day. Once they entered the hut, Natsu looked around, noticing it was a one room cottage with one bed, a couch, and a small kitchenette. Everything was wooden, barely any metal in sight. The couch and bed were made out of furs and hay. The fairy tail mages quickly turned around, profusely thanking the villagers for bestowing this act of kindness, only to be rebuffed by the hopeful pleas to end the curse, causing Gray to growl in anger. 'How could someone be so cruel, as to curse a village like this into becoming demons!' he internally shouted in anger. His magic had actually been seeping out, ice had begun to spread, which Natsu quickly melted back. As soon as Natsu laid Lucy down on a couch, he quickly walked over to Gray and grabbing his shoulder, pushed him against the wall, causing Erza to narrow her eyes only for Natsu to speak.

"You have to stay calm Gray, you didn't even notice you started to freeze the village if I hadn't held the ice back!" Natsu shouted, mainly in annoyance. 'Damn ice prick can't even control his magic, and he thinks he's better than me...' Natsu thought. Gray was actually surprised by Natsu's comment and was ashamed that he lost control. Gray gave Natsu a nod and cut off the slight flow of magic while Natsu let him go, and turned around to set up a sleeping bag, only for Erza to step into his path with a glare on her face.

"Talk" was the only word that exited her mouth, as there were too many questions to ask right. This caused Natsu to sigh in annoyance as he motioned for everyone to listen in, so he wouldn't have to explain this more than once.

"If we outright declare we are here to exterminate a demon, they could have easily become confused in their distress and thought we were there to kill _them,"_ Natsu explained as he started to move towards his sleeping bag, only for Erza to stick her hand out and place it upon his chest, stopping him in his tracks. Natsu once again sighed in annoyance and waited for Erza's explanation.

"I meant about everything. Why did you lead us straight to Bobo?. And how do you know that he was and still is okay." Erza listed off, not even bothering to ask, expecting answers one way or the other. Both Gray and Lucy were confused because earlier at the beach, he boldly stated he didn't know why, and silently awaited his explanation, while Happy was staring out the window at the mysterious purple moon.

"It's his scent. It's why I knew exactly how to find the village. Bobo is from Galuna Island. The rest is all mere speculation." Natsu explained, only to be gestured to continue the explanation, causing him to sigh in defeat.

"The curse doesn't turn them into demons," Natsu stated as Gray and Lucy watched in confusion, while Erza was shocked to the core. 'That's why all the doctor's notes I read about the curse were inconclusive. It's because it doesn't turn them into a demon, only alters their memory! They were demons in the first place!' Erza internally declared, proud that she had solves the mystery while she removed her hand from Natsu's chest, allowing Natsu to prepare himself for sleep, while Lucy and Gray were confused. Erza was left with one lingering question though, 'Is the curse related to the purple moon? If so how do we stop it...' She pondered as she requipped her sword and started to hone its edge to be prepared for tomorrow.

Gray's and Lucy's confusion didn't last long however, as Lucy stood up to get ready herself, only to see that Happy had started going through Lucy's bag, specifically her lingerie, causing her to blush a storm while screaming obscenities at him while she attempted to stop him from flying away with her favourite pair of panties, which left everyone in the room staring agape at the flimsy piece of cloth.

Surprisingly Natsu was the first to break out of his shock, while Gray somehow ended up fainting from a nose bleed, in a less than the decent state of attire while hanging half off the couch, upside down of course. Erza, on the other hand, was mumbling incoherently with a deep blush on her cheeks, imagining wearing such a thing herself. Trying to calm down her raging hormones, Erza sloppily re-quipped into her strawberry onesie pajamas, and laid down to sleep on the hard wooden floor, with her sword in hand like a medieval statue. The blanket barely her voluptuous form, but nothing was hidden.

One by one they all fell asleep, Natsu and Happy, followed by an embarrassment Lucy, and a distant Erza. Luckily for Gray, Natsu ignored the ice mages growing arousal AKA boner because Natsu knew exactly how Erza would react, and as humorous as it would be, bro code.

Natsu was the first to wake in the morning, as he stretched the tiredness out of his bones, he fondly looked at Lucy's cute face, so peaceful and innocent, then as he looked at her body he realized her blanket had ridden down, causing him to see her tight white sleeping shirt, seeing her perky nipples peeking through the fabric, saying hello. The scene overall caused Natsu to stumble back in shock with a blush on his face, if Happy hadn't had picked him up, he would have stood on Gray's face. And however funny that would have been, waking Erza up is never, EVER a good idea.

"Thanks, bud. Stay here okay? I'm going to do my morning routine." Natsu whispered as he walked forward towards Lucy's bed, and gently pulled her blanket up against her prone body until the edge was at her chin, causing a small smile to blossom upon her sleeping face. Backing up slowly Natsu quickly exited the cottage, to do his morning training, and investigate for any proof of the missing mage. 'I should probably only do a portion of my routine' Natsu thought as he took his shirt off, causing some of the local women to blush while they were doing their morning chores. He quickly stretched to prepare himself for his workout, which happened to cause more than a few of the local female teens pass out with a bloody nose. After he was done he dropped to the ground and started doing one-armed pushups and sit ups. After Natsu finished his morning sets, he quickly requipped a towel and wrapped it around his neck and walked to the Moka's house, to inform him of the investigation. After getting approval, Natsu quickly made his way through the village, only to be swarmed by the young children on his way out. The parents stood by their homes and watched as Natsu performed a little magic show to entertain the children, with his _Fire make magic_ and _flaming steps,_ because too much magic could hurt the children, no matter how careful you are with it. Plus his

 _"Fire Make Dragon"_ Natsu chanted with a smile on his face, while his magic gathered around his body in a pure, white aura, then instantly took the form of an orange fire dragon. It started flying around in the children before Natsu asked for any volunteers to ride the dragon. Every single child raised their hands, only for they're parents to quickly reprimand them for offering to do something so dangerous. By the end of all the scolding, none of the children still had their hands up, all were pouting in sadness by the fact their parents stole their "fun". Natsu only laughed it off and had the dragon do a few tricks before he ended the spell with a bow and a few small fireworks, causing the children's frown to turn upside down. With his magic show over, he started to walk out of the village towards the large gate, and instead of making the guards move it early in the morning, he channeled magic into his legs, creating a small explosion on the sole of his feet propelling him over the gate, where he landed with a roll, overhearing the cheers of the guards, before he turned around and waved "bye".

As he stared at the dense woods around him, he closed his eyes and focused both his ears and nose on the forest around him, looking for any source of unnatural interruption in the form of evil mages, the ones responsible for the curse. Even after 45 minutes, he had no luck at all, which was more than confusing. He heard literally nothing at all, which was really, REALLY weird. 'No birds chirping, animals growling, tree shifting or water running. How the hell can I literally hear nothing outside the village, unless...' He silently concluded that there must be a magic spell interfering with his dragon slayer senses, thus causing no sound to be heard from the village. Which is actually a really smart move on their part because then the village can't suspect anything is wrong. Deciding to pause his investigation, he began to run through the jungle, never falling or tripping. He was searching for anything amiss, tracks, blood, any clue at all. After hearing his stomach growl, he decided to take a snack break, and he climbed an old oak tree, so he wouldn't be in clear sight to the villainous mages. After having settled down on a branch, he requipped a picnic basket that Mira had prepared for him before he left. She had thoroughly expressed her worry about the mission, and after promising her his safety, she gave him this basket. Opening up the basket, Natsu was overjoyed to see his favorite flaming steak, somehow still burning after having been sealed in the basket, which confused him, but he was more grateful than curious right now, as he ate the steak while watching the sun rise. After about 20 minutes he decided to continue searching, but to his misfortune, however, all he found was an ancient temple made of stone and covered in moss and vines. He was about to explore the ruins until he saw the sun's position in the sky.

"Fuck..." Natsu muttered as he realized it was close to noon, and Erza was more than likely pissed off and out for his head, turning around he said his saving grace.

" _Flaming Steps_." He said as he disappeared in a flash of fire.

-In the Village, Erza's PoV-

"Where is he!" She growled as she paced around the village square in her Heartz Kreuz armor, her pissed off aura startling the local children, and putting the adults on edge. Their only hope was that the Wizard Saint would appear and calm this raging woman. Gray was currently talking to different villagers trying to obtain more information while staying clear of Erza's wrath. Lucy was trying to write her story, with little to no success. Just as Erza was about to requip into her _Blackwing_ _armor_ Natsu appeared right in front of her in an explosion of flames, which knocked Erza back onto her glorious derriere, which only managed to annoy her even further.

"Look, I can tell you're upset that I went off on my own, but I wanted to let you all sleep. I asked Moka for permission before hand. So, please, calm down." Natsu said as he walked towards Erza and extended his hand to help her up.

"Plus, I have a lead on the curse," Natsu said as Lucy cheered along with the village, while Erza gratefully accepted his helping hand, and stood up. the Fairy Tail mages begun to gather together, Lucy put her book in her bag, and Gray walked forwards, shirtless with his hands in his jean pockets. Happy zoomed out of the cottage at _Max Speed_ to greet Natsu and ask for fish, causing him to laugh it off while he looked towards Erza.

"Then what are we waiting for? Forward march! Onwards!" Erza declared while the Fairy Tail mages left the village, leaving the village in a heap of laughter and joy.

* * *

And _To the reviews._

 _Guest.-chapter 5. I am thinking of doing something completely different. All the request said was Golden key. Not celestial gate key. Lucy assumed what the key is. I haven't decided yet. Sorry, this reply is so indecisive, but it is the best I can do for right now. It's not that I don't have any ideas, I might even write a new arc. But I haven't made any concrete decisions as of yet. It could still be a gate key though._

 _Jerrend- thank you for the input about time skips, I will try to take the tip while I continue writing this story. I honestly don't foresee myself doing many time skips because I need more scenes for Natsu to fall for, what is it, 24 different girls? And vice versa. Remember, girls falling for Natsu isn't the only problem, he has to fall for them as well. I plan to emphasize what I believe is each girl's most favorable personality trait, and have each of them effect Natsu in one way or another. this impact thus leads to like and love, blah. You get the point. Now if you can suggest what each girl's best personality trait is, let me know! because they are all knock out's, physique wise._

 _Guest- chapter 6. The more reviews I get the more likely it is I can put out chapters faster. I work 23 hours a week, and I have school 5 days a week, I can re-edit the Christmas chapter and post it as a side story as a series of shorts if you wish. But that is the best I can do right now, and I don't want to promise something I won't be able to deliver. Calculus is hard, it takes a long time. Sorry, but school and work are first, this is a non-profit hobby._

 _Guest 2- chapter 6. I will consider allowing the spirit to choose her owner, but I'm not sure which approach I should take to it. Should the spirit rally around the stronger Mage? or make a weaker mage stronger. Like, I would consider recreating one of the golden keys because one of the older key holders could have broken a key, so they were replaced, then I'd make a whole new zodiac spirit that is fire based, so Natsu could do a star dress and use his dragon slaying magic as a supped up dragon spirit-slayer. Let me know what you think in the comments below, and if you all approve of this then I can also have that be Natsu's first gold key, and still, let Lucy get her's as they come._

 _Thank you all for the reviews, they are literally the only reason I keep writing this story. So there's a chance with more reviews could mean faster content. *Hint*_

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I have to say that while I understand the story is progressing very slowly, all of this is for a reason, I promise. In a lot of harem stories, the girls just fall for Natsu in a single day. And I feel that it's just unrealistic for 20 different people to fall in love at first sight, or something similar because I don't believe in that. So all these extended scenes and elaborate ideas are to make it seem more realistic for the girls to like Natsu. Even though the first 1k of this chapter was all for Erza to realize that Natsu is actually smart, and Lucy is already starting to fall for him.

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I know I didn't have the elder declare having to kill his son, but this is partly because Natsu is a figure with a lot of power, the village doesn't want the council to look down on them for killing family and friends.


	8. Deliora, The Demon of Destruction

Shout out to **Johnny Spectre** for sending me a list of all the keys! It will really help. :D

Shout out to **Jerrend** for sending a list of personality traits of the harem members! It will really save me time on how to write interactions to best emphasize them.

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"Come, this way" Natsu directed as he led the team through the overgrown forest with Happy on his shoulder who was currently eating a fish that one of the village children had given him while they exited the small town. Natsu had re-quipped into a brown and green cloak that covered his whole body from head to toe and currently had the hood down displaying his bright pink hair with black tips. They had just left the village and were following the trail Natsu took when he went investigating earlier that morning. It was a sight to see, if not for the fact it was a cursed island. The trees were tall and left alone, the floor was covered in many colors fallen leaves and twigs, and there were insects crawling around in the dirt and mud. They were climbing over fallen dead trees on their path to the temple.

Erza was currently in her iconic _Heart Kreuz_ armor and blue skirt, brown belt, and sword. Her hair was down as usual as she was looking at her map, so she would be able to navigate through the forest on her own in case they got separated or lost. Lucy was walking beside Erza dressed in a green spaghetti strap tank top with a pink tube top underneath. She had a beige short skirt held up with her iconic brown belt with her whip on the left, and keys on her right. She had her arms wrapped around her waist, left over right. She was currently looking on with Erza at the map while trying her best not to trip and fall on the fallen trees. Gray was currently bringing up the back dressed in his usual navy blue cargo pants and black belt and was bare-chested except for his iconic silver pendant. "Why is flame brain leading? First, he leaves without telling Erza, and then she follows him around?!" Gray mumbled as they continued to walk through the crowded forest. It was a longer walk than Natsu remembered, but then he realized that he was moving faster when he was investigating than they are now. Lucy looked a little nervous and skittish, constantly looking around for any signs of the curse, or of traps and enemy mages. Her imagination was filling her with thoughts of treasure hunts and hidden deadly traps. Gray was silent and still in the back, grumbling about how annoying it was to have to follow flame brain everywhere, the only thing that stopped his constant stream of complaints was when the ground began to shake.

"What in the name of..." Gray trailed off as he kneeled down to feel the vibrations of the ground while the rest of his guildmates quickly noticed and started looking around trying to find the source of the shaking, only to see a huge seafoam colored rat with a long gray tail dressed in a black and pink cross-garter tank top with a frilly pink edge, white bonnet, and pink bow around her neck with yellow and black eyes tower over them from behind the tall trees with a devilish smile on its creepy huge face. Erza was horrified to see a huge green rat dressed as a girl, 'How can that rat be dressed as a girl, but WITHOUT ANY PANTS! it's preposterous!' Erza internally declared with her hands on her hips as she shook her head in annoyance. As she turned around to see how her teammates were handling the situation, she was curious about the smirk on Natsu's face, but quickly noticed he probably knew the rat was following them the whole time. 'If he knew that _thing_ was there, why didn't he warn us?' she thought while she turned back around to watch the rat for any signs of an attack.

Natsu was amused to see the huge rat, having seen, and experienced scarier situations than a huge twelve-foot tall rat. However, Happy was not as calm as his surrogate father. Happy was freaking out and he climbed into Natsu hood to hide, mumbling "The Rat got the cat" over and over like a crazed induced mantra while shivering like a leaf in a wind storm. Having already decided how to handle the rat, Natsu suddenly sat down on the ground while pulling Happy out of his hood and holding the poor blue cat in his arms, which caught the attention of Erza and Lucy. Gray was stuck in a disgusted shock, seeing this _thing_ dressed as a girl, 'is that even a rat?!' Gray internally screamed as he started preparing his magic for a fight since all his experience with large monsters generally lead to a fight.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING NATSU?! Gray?! Anyone, Go beat it up!" Lucy screamed at Natsu mainly due to fear and shock of seeing this huge rat dressed in feminine apparel towering over them as if they were ants, casting a large shadow over them.

Hearing Lucy's plea, Natsu turned around to look at Erza with an inquisitive stare, asking a silent question they were both considering. Seeing her head nod in agreement, Natsu turned back to Lucy.

"You will handle this _thing_. I told you before I brought you along that you would take part in the quest and not just the reward. And as your first official Fairy Tail mission, I wish you luck" Natsu stated as he stared Lucy dead in the eye, ensuring that she saw how serious he was. When she Lucy turned back to Erza for confirmation Lucy's excitement started to rise, however, so did her fear. 'I thought I was going to be helping with searching and solving! Not fighting!' she internally complained until she heard the begrudging agreement from Gray. 'They all have this much confidence in me, I can do this!' she internally cheered as she started to walk towards the giant rat who had started to inspect its giant, ugly nails while they were talking. Once Lucy got within ten feet of the rat, it stopped looking at its nails and began to charge at Lucy, startling her into dropping her keys, causing Happy and Gray to laugh, Natsu to face palm, and Erza to requip a sword to help out until Natsu grabbed the back of her breastplate to hold her in her tracks.

"Natsu! What are you doing?! Lucy clearly needs some help!" Erza shouted as she turned around to berate the wizard saint for not helping a new member, only for him to point back in Lucy's direction. When Erza turned around her anger quickly diminished at seeing Lucy actually handling herself quite fine, as she had taken her whip of her belt, and started whipping the rat while avoiding its long gray tail.

'I can't believe I just did that!' Lucy internally shouted after she had dropped her celestial gate keys, having to jump back and avoid the dainty, furry clawed hand that had just slammed into the ground where she was standing not a second ago. Taking her whip of her belt, she snapped it on the ground to unfurl it, scaring the bipedal rat back a step and the crack of the whip. 'It can't be this easy' Lucy thought as she started whipping the ground in front of the rat, scaring it backward, well that's what she thought anyway until the gray tail came around and swept her feet out from under her body, causing her to land on her back. Taking the chance, the rat lunged forward, planning to maul the bodacious blonde that made the gigantic rat feel less-endowed...

Fortunately for Lucy she had rolled out of the way just in time towards the direction of her keys before the giant rat smashed into the ground, causing a dust storm to hide the rat, while Lucy scurried towards her keys on her hands and feet, causing Gray to gape at the sight of her bold pink floral lingerie until Natsu smashed his hand into Grays's head creating a Gray sized crater in the ground while Erza blushed a deeper scarlet than her own hair.

Once Lucy reached her keys she clasped them tightly in her right hand and quickly got to her feet. She turned around to see what her teammates thought of the fight, and was surprised to see a blushing Erza and Gray crawling out of a crater while Happy giggled into his hands. Before she could ask she was slammed in the side by the giant feminine rat, causing her to fly to the side and roll on the rough rocky ground with a cry of pain.

Gray rushed to interfere and help his friend but was prevented by taking more than one step by Happy, who had grabbed the back of his shirt and flew in the air.

"Happy! Let me down, if she doesn't get the help she's going to get seriously hurt!" Gray cried in distress, attracting the attention of everyone including the rat. Happy had decided to stay silent and just hover in the air, rather allowing Erza and Natsu to reply to his cries. Lucy was staring at her friends in shock, not expecting them to stand there and watch her get hurt.

"Gray," Erza stated in her usual cold voice, "She hasn't even used her magic yet, give her a chance." She scolded as she turned back to Lucy and gave her a wink. Seeing the wink, Lucy felt her confidence grow as Happy lowered a reluctant but accepting Gray to the ground, as Lucy attempted to stand up the rat seemed more focused on removing the dirt from its top giving her an idea.

" _Open Gate of the Giant Crab: Cancer"_ Lucy chanted as she pointed the golden key at the ground in front of her creating a large blue ornate magic circle. From the magic circle came a gold blinding light, from which crab-like scissors flew from. A man stepped out of the golden light grabbing the scissors. He was wearing black slacks and black boot with an aquamarine and black striped suit jacket, gold necklace, and green tinted glasses. On his back were six short crab-like legs that curled around to his sides, and once he fully stepped out of the light he posed with his legs spread wide and arms spread out with scissors in hand, saying his call sign "Cancer".

"Hey Lucy, how would you like your hair done today? Baby," Cancer asked in a sensual voice as he turned towards his summoner, only to hear her sigh in annoyance. Both Natsu and Happy were sniggering at the crab while Gray scratched his head and Erza just watched with a small smirk on her face due to the fact she had an idea what Lucy's plan was.

"I don't need styling, that does," Lucy said with a mischevious smirk as she pointed towards the rat in clothes, causing Cancer to gag at the sight of it.

"Whatever you say, baby." Cancer replied as he lowered his torso towards the ground while spreading his legs out ready to jump into action. He lunged towards the rat at high speeds with his scissors in his hands, and when he was near the rat it crossed its arms in preparation to block, only for its clothes to get ruined by Cancer's scissors and it's hair to be removed. Once the rat noticed the slight breeze it looked down to see why and was horrified to see its clothes on the ground and bare skin, causing it to scream in terror and run away from the fairy tail mages. Cancer was mortified to see the rat so close up and stark naked, that he was shocked still, causing Happy to laugh in amusement, while the rest of the Fairy tail mages smiled, proud of their friend.

Lucy smiled at the sight of the rat running away and walked towards her whip to pick it up. After she picked up her whip she started to coil it back up, and walked towards her shocked still spirit and put her hand on his shoulder, causing him to turn towards her with a scared look on his face.

"I'm sorry you had to see that. You can go back to the spirit world, thank you for the help." She said quietly only to receive a head nod from her friend and see him disappear in a flash of light. Turning around she was shocked to see all of her friends start to clap causing a blush to form on her face.

"Anyone can beat a monster up, but it takes brains to make them flee, good job," Natsu told Lucy as she walked towards her friends with an ever deeper blush on her pretty face.

"Thanks for trying to help Gray," Lucy said as she reached her friends.

"Alright, let's get moving," Natsu said as he turned around and started walking towards the temple with Happy on his shoulder and his guildmates following in step with Erza at his side and Gray talking to Lucy behind them.

"Was that giant rat actually able to sneak up on you, or did you plan that all along?" Erza asked as after a few minutes of walking.

"What do you think?" Natsu asked with a wink in Erza's direction as he started to slow down, causing Gray to walk into him.\

"What the hell flame brain!" Gray complained as he took a step back. When he looked at Natsu he then realized that they finally made it to their destination.

"Whoa..." Lucy said in awe as they looked at the temple. It was a layered stone pyramid remnant of Aztec design. It was decorated with moon hieroglyphics and covered in moss and overgrown trees.

"Galuna island was formerly known as moon island. Moon island with a moon temple, and a cursed moon..." Erza listed off out loud as they all looked at the ancient temple.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go explore!" Natsu cheered as he ran forward with an infectious grin on his face causing Erza to shake her head in amusement while Gray and Lucy ran to catch up.

Natsu was the first to enter the ancient temple, and it was a dark musty stone room with fallen columns and rubble scattered around the wide open space. He was quickly followed by Gray and a panting Lucy. Erza calmly walked in afterward and went to do her own inspection on the columns. She requipped a book that she had kindly borrowed from Levy and turned to a page she had marked comparing notes to the actual temple.

"Oh man, am I tired," Lucy said as she walked over to the only column still standing and resting against it. Her body sore and tired because of her fight, running half a mile on top of that was only overkill.

"Man this place is falling apart," Natsu said as he walked over to one of the broken columns to inspect how it broke. Unfortunately, he came to the conclusion that they broke a long time ago, and not due to a fight between demon and mage.

"Wow, I wonder how old this place is..." Gray queried as he looked around the large room, before noticing the writing on the walls.

"Hey, come take a look at this.." Gray called out as he started dusting off the walls to get a clearer view of the writing, however part of the writing was faded and broken off, leading him to sigh in annoyance, before he kneeled down to inspect the rubble at the wall, hoping that there was enough to finish the hieroglyph. Both Natsu and Erza stopped their investigating and came over to Gray to help try and decipher the message on the wall.

"Erza, did you have a book on hieroglyphs in your requip space?" Natsu quietly asked as he lit his hand on fire to give more light for Erza to read since they were further from the entrance and had less sunlight.

"I do not, I had to make up more space for new armors..." Erza sighed as she punched the wall in annoyance, causing the floor to crack, and unfortunately, Natsu was the only one to notice with his enhanced hearing.

"Woah, Can I take a look?" Lucy asked as she stood up and started to walk over to the rest of the group causing Natsu to bristle with panic.

"Stop!" Natsu shouted and unfortunately Lucy didn't realize he was talking to her. with her next step, the weight of all of them in the same spot caused the frail cracked floor to crumble and break into the cavern down below, sending everyone into the darkness.

"Lucy, When I say stop, I mean stop!" Natsu shouted as he ignited his feet on fire to go and catch the bodacious blonde. 'I'm already responsible for her getting hurt during the fight, I won't let her fall this far after that.' Natsu thought as he flew towards the blonde who was flailing and screaming, afraid for her life. Erza, on the other hand, had requipped into her _Blackwing Armor_ and had flown over to Gray and grabbed the calm nudist by the hand and started to hover. Happy had somehow found a fish bone and had tried to eat it, and was now choking and unable to summon his _Aera._

 _"_ I'm too pretty to die!" Lucy screamed in terror as she tried to flap her arms as if they were wings, causing Gray to laugh in amusement and Erza to smack him on the head. Fortunately Happy was able to summon his wings and get the bone out of his throat before he suffocated to death, and was currently guffawing at Lucy's sad attempt at flight.

"Would you pl-! STOP FLAILING!" Natsu shouted as he flew under Lucy and attempted to catch her in his arms, but only managed to get slammed into and accidentally slapped in the face by Lucy. By this time they were only a mere four feet above the ground and as Erza looked around she saw Happy flying towards a tunnel in the cavern below and decided they should investigate.

"Natsu, let us land on the ground below so we can investigate down here!" Erza called over to him as she lowered herself and Gray towards the ground. Once she and Gray were on the ground she requipped back into her _Hearts Kreuz Armor_ and started to follow Happy into the tunnel with Gray in tow while Natsu was putting Lucy down, and soon following.

"Woah, look at all this fog! Wait, why is there fog in a cave?" Happy cried gleefully before turning to Erza looking for an answer as they walked through the tunnel towards the white mist. Erza's armor could be heard clanking on the ground due to each step, and somehow Gray was removing his pants while keeping pace with Erza while Natsu and Lucy jogged to catch up.

"Honestly... I'm not too sure Happy." Erza said with an inquisitive look on her face as they kept walking. Happy had decided he didn't want to walk anymore ad flew over and sat on Erza's shoulder, who gave him a pat letting him know it would be ok. Natsu had picked up Gray's pants with a look of disgust and requipped it for later while lucy was shivering and rubbing her arms, trying to keep warm.

"Why is it so cold!" Lucy chattered out as they kept walking, as an ominous light could be seen coming from the end of the tunnel.

"Where is the light coming from..." Gray wondered aloud as the fog kept getting thicker as they continued on. When they reached the end of the tunnel they saw a huge thirty-foot tall large prism with a monster trapped inside of it, surrounded by a puddle of water and a thick layer of mist.

"No! IT Can't BE!" Gray shouted in distress having recognized the demon as literally a thing of his nightmares.

"What is it? What's going on?!" Lucy shouted as she ran to catch up and try to understand what got Gray so upset.

"IT CAN't BE!" Gray shouted in denial as he fell to his knees, unable to comprehend the fact the that a skeleton had been pulled out of his closet.

"Gray, do you know what that is?" Erza asked as she walked closer to the prism to inspect it. 'It's not glass, it's ice!' Erza noticed as she stopped before the large puddle on the ground. 'That's where the fog came from, the temperature of the ice caused is the cause of the fog, and the temperature in the cave... but why isn't it melting?' she thought as she turned towards Gray looking for an answer. Happy had flown off of Erza's shoulder to go to the water, and look for fish...

"It's Deliora, the dem-" Gray started after a pause to take a deep breath, only to be interrupted by the wizard saint, and prince of fire.

"The Demon of Destruction, the demon we're looking for." Natsu finished as he crossed his arms over his chest. 'Wasn't Deliora reported to have disappeared in Brago? How is it trapped, and how does Gray know of it...' He pondered as he took a step towards the demon to inspect the integrity of the ice, only to be tackled to the ground by an erratic Gray.

"I won't let you near Deliora! I can't risk you melting the ice, I can't let you kill my master!" Gray shouted as he held Natsu to the ground causing Erza to frown and Lucy to gasp.

"How would melting the ice kill your master, and what do you know about Deliora? You know what, answer those AFTER you get off of me!" Natsu yelled in annoyance making Gray sigh in sadness as he slowly stood up off of Natsu and turned towards the ice. Erza had decided to walk closer to Gray to listen to him, since he was so paranoid about the ice. Lucy on the other hand was staring at the ice in shock, having been confused, thinking that the demon WAS his master.

"My master died so that I could live, and in doing so, used a forbidden spell and turned herself into the ice to lock Deliora in that prison for eternity," Gray said quietly as a tear rolled down the left side of his face, making everyone gasp in shock.

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Sorry if Erza is a little OOC in this chapter. I've been trying my best to keep every character as close to their canon personalities as possible, but I was just really stumped when writing this chapter. Let me know how bad I did by review or PM.

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And onto the reviews!

 _Jerrend- you are THE person! (I could assume gender but I watch enough TV to know not to make that mistake!). But thanks for that, it will help me continue writing it as for how and why Natsu falls for them._

 _Guest- Chapter 7- I agree that Lucy has done next to nothing with her spirits. But the same could be said for canon. I mean she really only uses her spirits and whip at the same time, but almost separately. Lucy would summon someone and fight with them, sure, but did she ever do any combo attacks with them? She was so focused on joining Fairy Tail or having fun, that she rarely ever tried to further her abilities. And as to who Natsu's first gold key is, I have a few ideas but nothing concrete quite yet. And thanks for the idea though._

 _Guest- Chapter 7- If Loke dies there is no promise that Aries will decide to go with either of them. Same goes with Scorpio because of Aquarius being given to Natsu. Scorpio will hate Natsu because Aquarius is attracted to him while Scorpio will dislike Lucy for hurting Aquarius' feelings. I haven't completely decided what I want to do with the Nirvana arc. I might take a suggestion and completely rewrite it with a whole new arc. it all depends on whether I feel inspired or not._

 _Guest- chapter 1- I will honestly consider those suggestions with Natsu joining other possible guilds, but right now I am kind of stuck with some writer's block, having trouble writing and stuff. The only way I was able to get this chapter out was by watching episodes 11-18 of fairy tail WHILE writing the chapter, unfortunately, really it won't be too creative. But I would like to consider them doing something like that, but, we'll see._

 _Guest- chapter 1- sure the first chapter is weird, drinking blood is crazy! But would you deny a dragon king? Stick around and read more! Tell me if this chapter is weird._


	9. The Followers of the Cold Emperor

And on to the story

The members of Fairy Tail could only stare in a mixture of awe and horror, at the prism of ice containing one of the most dangerous demons ever created. Lucy was staring at Gray in pity, while both Natsu and Erza were still a bit surprised, having had heard Gray boast about how strong Ur was before. And Happy... well, he was making faces in the reflection of the ice, which annoyed caused Lucy to scream.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HAPPY! What if the demon is the source of the curse!" Lucy hysterically screamed causing Happy to gasp in shock, and use _max speed_ to fly behind Lucy. they were both freaking out while Gray was essentially a statue mumbling "why" and "how", while Erza had walked up to the ice-encased demon to inspect it further. Natsu was standing stock still with his eyes closed, possibly mapping out the tunnel systems.

"People incoming," Natsu called out causing everyone to run and hide behind rubble. After the fairy tail mages were behind cover, the shadows of two approaching people were seen coming from the tunnel.

"The voices seem to be coming from down here." said a relatively short man with longish blue hair coming up in spikes. he was wearing a light shade of fern green trench coat with dark emerald green on top of his shoulders and on his arms of his coat. it poofed out at his waist due to a basic simple black belt with a dull metal buckle. The thing that stood out about him most was his intense thick black eyebrows. walking beside the blue haired man is what looked to be one of the cursed villagers. He was a taller man with a black choker collar around his neck. He seemed to be covered in fur, having cat-like nose and hairs. This man was wearing blue jeans and a brown belt and had no shirt on displaying the black tattoo script on his right tricep. He had long shoulder length brown hair, that hid the base of his ears.

The animal like man only grumbled it what seemed to be hunger, since his tattooed arm was currently holding his midsection.

"I hate being awake during the day." Mumbled the blue haired man as he made his way to deliora with his arms joined behind his back, with the cat-like man beside him. The cat-like man only grumbled in hunger once again, which caused Happy to giggle only for Erza to scuff him over the head, causing him to fly back with his eyes swirling.

"So Toby, were you exposed to the moon drip? You have those pointed ears," Taunted the blue hair man, causing the now named Toby to growl in anger, with tick marks adorning his forehead. Both Erza and Natsu quietly gasped at the name of the spell and turned to each other to share a look causing Lucy to look at them in confusion. However, she decided to save that question for later, instead of somehow alerting the possibly hostile mages to their location. Gray, however, had his hands curled into fists and his arms were shaking, barely being able to hold himself back from attacking mages for being responsible for his master's last creation being desecrated.

"I already told you! They're a fashion statement you jerk!" Growled Toby as he towered over the blue haired mage, causing the shorter man to snicker in amusement. Happy was overall confused because Toby looked like a cat, but acted like a dog.

"Lighten up, you know I was just teasing you." Said the short blue haired man as they continued to walk towards the large ice prison containing the powerful demon.

"You don't have to be so mean about it," Toby grumbled as they continued to walk forward towards the demon, making the short walkway seem a whole lot larger than it actually was.

"Yuka, Toby, Something terrible has happened!" Declared a new person as they slowly jogged towards the other mages, causing her sizeable bust to wiggle and jiggle. Once she got within seeing distance, it was shocking to see her pink hair, so close to Natsu's that Happy passed out, mumbling about Natsu turning into a girl, causing Lucy to giggle. This new woman was surprisingly wearing a shirt close to that of the large rat's, making Lucy and Erza scoff in disgust at the sheer memory of that abomination of nature. She had pink bangs framing her face, while the rest was tied into pigtails that hung off the back of her head. She had two pieces of cloth hanging from a collar around her neck, that very much resembled wings of an insect. She had a short black skirt on with a pink trim and black thigh high boots. She had both of her hand held in front of her chest in almost a praying position while she talked to the other mages.

"What is it now, Sherry?" The now name Yuka asked as he turned away from the demon with both of his hands still held behind his back, while Toby simply waved at the pink haired woman with a small, happy growl.

"It's Angelica, she has been degraded and it makes me so sad," Sherry replied with both of her eyes closed and her head tilted towards the cold rocky floor. causing Yuka to scoff in annoyance while Toby yelled in anger.

"You're moping around because someone beat up your stupid pet rat?!" Toby screamed in annoyance while Erza looked on with wide eyes, not believing how weird the enemy mages actually were. "That... thing, is her pet rat?!' Erza screamed in her head, not understanding why someone would keep that abomination as a pet. Toby's aggression caused Sherry to open her eyes and look up, letting everyone see her beautiful face and indigo eyes.

"Angelica is not just a rat. She is a hunter galloping through the darkness, and... love." Sherry said in a praising tone with her hands still clasped together. Both Yuka and Toby scoffed at her in annoyance while they rolled their eyes, which only made the Fairy mages ponder how many times she said stuff like that. Lucy was horrified at the description of the rat that smacked her around, 'What is wrong with that woman... has the curse made her gone delirious?" Lucy thought as she stared at the pink haired woman with a weird look on her face.

"These... are some of the weirdest people I have ever met." Erza declared softly while everyone but Happy nodded their heads in agreement, even Gray, who had finally calmed himself down. Happy was currently trying to picture the horrific rat galloping through love and only got more confused.

"Judging by the scent I picked up from them, they are not residents of Galuna Island, it would make sense if they came here with Deliora." Said Natsu while he sunk back down behind the rock he was hiding behind while he requipped a communication lacrima. Both Lucy and Erza took in the information, while Gray clenched his hand in anger once again, at the confirmation that the people in they were hiding from were, in fact, responsible for his master's degradation.

"They don't look like they have the demon curse either, what's with that? Why are the only people affected by the curse are the innocent villagers? How do bad guys always get away without any consequences... It isn't fair, the villagers are completely innocent" Lucy mumbled while she too got back down behind the pillar she was hiding behind while she pulled her thighs towards her chest and wrapped her arms around her ankles.

"It's almost time to begin to collect moonlight once again," Sherry said in what appeared to be her usual tone of voice, which got the attention of both Natsu and Erza, now confirming what the cause of the curse was, but why was it affecting the villagers? that was the exact thought going both of the S-Class mages heads as they listened in to the villain's conversation.

"Oh, this makes me so sad. News of intruders would displease the cold emperor. We should get rid of them before he finds out... Yes, we must find them before the moon's first light." Sherry said while looking towards both Yuka and Toby, who grinned evilly at the thought of a fight. When Sherry said "Cold Emperor", Gray gasped in shock, having remembered someone from his childhood saying that before, but he just couldn't remember who. When Gray gasped, all of his friends turned towards him to see what was wrong but were surprised to see his eyes closed while his jaw was clenched in annoyance.

* * *

And onto the reviews!

Jerrend- I swear, you are one of the most helpful people I've ever met. Thanks for all the help and I hope to be able to write it in as soon as possible, but I'm having trouble finding a point where Natsu is retrospective. But yes Cana is going to be in the harem, she is one of my more favorite fairy tail girls. Which is why she is one of the actual story pairings from the description

Guest 1 from chapter 8- Sorry for misunderstanding your review, but this just goes to show how useful having an account is. But, if you are ok with communicating like this I am too, it just takes two weeks for a response. Nice to know you keep reading though, thanks!

Guest 2 from chapter 8- Gemini will most likely go to Lucy for the time being. I can understand why you suggested them, but, Lucy was strong in canon only due to the fact she had so many keys, and I won't try to take that away from her. Lucy Ashley was strong because Lucy Heartfilia was weak. About Natsu calling Edolas Fairy Tail out on lying to Lisanna, I'm not sure that's the road I want to go on. But, I'll consider your suggestion. One quality Natsu still has from canon is his will to never give up, and hope. I'm not sure if Natsu will resent them because he always saw the best in everyone. I don't see myself doing the Daphne arc, because hopefully once Ur is revived Gray will have better judgment regarding Natsu. A dark Natsu does sound really cool, but I doubt he would be able to attract someone like Ultear if he did because I always say her as someone trying to escape the darkness. I dunno, let's see. Let me know what you think in a review or PM.

Guest 3 and 4 from chapter 8- I do agree that giving Lucy fewer spirits will force her to become stronger and train harder. However, I also don't know many times where Natsu would need to use his spirits.

Mythfan from chapter 8- The dub is just a translated word from one language to another, so if they use wizard in the dub it may just be the closest word for a direct translation. Doesn't mean I still can't dislike it right? And if I lose readers due to a weird thing like not using "wizard" or "wizarding world" would just be dumb.


	10. Emotional Turmoil

And Onto the Story!

"Since they've seen Deliora, we cannot allow them to live. We shall give them the gift of eternal slumber. We'll give them... Love!" Sherry declared, ending with a euphoric tone, causing Toby to growl, while Yuka scoffed in annoyance. Clearly, her accomplices were more than aware of Sherry's absurd obsession. Lucy, on the other hand, was shocked to the core. Never before has she been threatened to be killed by an enemy mage before. Sure, Eisenwald and Lullaby were both hard fights, for her at least, but at least there wasn't a curse going around. After hearing the other pinkette, Natsu only squinted his eyes in annoyance, before turning to Happy and giving him the signal. After receiving a salute, Happy was off to go cause a distraction. Not even 10 seconds later a rock was heard hitting the floor, alerting the enemy mages, and causing them to go inspect it, in hopes of finding the Fairy Tail mages. After they left, Lucy let out a sigh of relief, while Erza stood up and somehow, made her way over to the entrance of the tunnel that the mages exited through, to ensure they had left, after a minute of total silence Erza and Natsu locked eyes, both confirming the same thing.

"They're gone," Natsu said as he stood up and opened his eyes. Taking a look around, he saw Gray sitting in the same spot, but, his arms were shaking with anger while his face was planted into his knees, and he could hear faint, sharp intakes of breath, leaving him to believe that Gray is either crying, or desperately trying to prevent himself from killing the other mages. Deciding that trying to help Gray would only make things worse, he turned towards Lucy to see how the buxom was fairing and was proud to see that her left hand was clenched on her key belt, showing that even though she was a little paler than usual, she was ready to fight for what she believed in. Happy had finally returned, having had lead the mages on a chase through the cave before disappearing and returning back to his fellow teammates.

"Nice job, cat," Lucy whispers as she stands up with her long, glorious legs, before walking towards Erza to ask her fellow female mage if she needed any help.

"Deliora." Gray growled, catching the attention of his friends, "I still don't understand what anyone would want with him. How the hell were they even able to find it!" Gray snarled as he bolted to his feet, and stalked towards the encased demon, his magic growing around him with every step he took towards his demon.

"Was it hidden somewhere?" Erza inquiries from the cave entrance, still searching for any signs of the enemy mages 'Never turn your back on the enemy, plus Lucy and Gray need the experience anyway,' Erza thought as her eyes searched the dark cavern for any signs of the mages intending on killing her and her friends.

"It was sealed away, inside a glacier in the Northern Continent, after what stories lead the council to believe, that Deliora went on a rampage only to end up disappearing... Want to explain that?" Natsu interrupts as he walked towards the demon in its eternal prison, making Gray look at him in shock. 'Why... does something about Deliora feel so... familiar?' Natsu thought as he continued past Gray towards the demon, only for his feet to be encased in ice, causing him to stop moving. Lifting a brow, Natsu turned towards Gray in askance, only to come face to face with a ticked off Gray.

"How do you know so much about Deliora!? HOW!" Gray screams in fury, afraid that Natsu had known all along that he had essentially murdered his master in every way but intention.

"Did you all honestly believe that I accepted this quest before doing any research whatsoever? I looked through the council's archives, doing research on every of Zeref's demons. Granted, it wasn't easy. They wouldn't give me entrance once they saw my guild mark. I had to use the wizard saint card to even see the blacked out files." Natsu calmly replies with no hints of deceit whatsoever, causing Gray to let out a sigh while both Lucy and Erza gaped at him as if seeing him in a whole new way.

"What! is it honestly that surprising that I did research?!" Natsu yells in annoyance with a tick mark on his forehead, not at all concerned about the mages returning. Both Erza and Lucy turned around and muttered reassurances with faint blushes in their full cheeks, that didn't leave Natsu assured at all. Natsu's body temperature alone melted Gray's ice around his feet as he turned around and took a step forward towards Deliora with slitted pupils, causing Gray's eyes to widen while he summoned his magic.

" _Ice-Make: Hammer"_ Gray said as he widened his legs and slammed his right fist into his open palm causing his magic to take the form of an intricately decorated hammer, causing Erza's eyes to widen while Lucy screamed at Gray when he grabbed the hammer and swung it horizontally towards Natsu's back, only for it to melt and shatter on impact when Natsu turned around.

"What are you doing!?" Lucy screamed in shock while Erza furiously stomped towards Gray, enraged that he would attack Natsu for seemingly no reason whatsoever. Feeling the attack, Natsu turned towards Gray only to be tackled to the ground before he could even look at the ice mage.

"If there is even the slightest chance you can melt the ice, I cannot let you anywhere near Deliora!" Gray screamed in what seemed delirium, causing Erza to stop in her tracks while Natsu let out a sigh of relief. 'Why was I walking towards Deliora? Why did it feel like I had to free him?' Natsu thought despairingly, not understanding why his body seemed to act on its own, making him glad that Gray stopped him in his tracks before he could reach the ice.

"While I do not approve of your methods, your reasoning is sound." Erza intoned while she walked towards the two men still on the cold ground. Seeing that even as she approached, Gray did not let Natsu up, she was curious to note that the pinkette's hands were shaking, and if she remembered correctly, his hair never had that much black in it before...

'"Gray, let him up," Erza ordered once she reached the two men, watching as Gray slowly raised himself off of the slightly taller male, only to blush at what the position looked like. Hearing Happy snicker at her blush she turned around to glare at the daring blue cat who had been surprisingly quiet, causing him to shut up, and disappear behind Lucy. Apparently, her fight with that _thing_ was enough to make him believe Lucy could protect him from her, causing her lips to quirk up a bit. Turning towards the men once again, she was inwardly shocked to see Natsu hold his hand out for Gray to shake it, and was proud that he took it.

"Gray, if there is anything else you have not told us, do it now. Any information is key in the investigation." Erza stated as she stared at Gray with that cold look on her face causing him to sigh in annoyance.

"A decade ago, this immortal demon ravaged Ishvan. Countless people lost their lives. The woman who taught me my magic, my master, Ur sa-" Gray stated in a depressed tone, only to be interrupted by a surprisingly serious Natsu.

"Ur, as in Ur Milkovich, the Queen of Winter?" Natsu questioned only for everyone to stare at him in shock once more.

"For the sake of... URGH!" Natsu yelled in annoyance, not understanding why everyone always assumed he was an idiot.

"Is it the pink hair? It's the pink hair, isn't it?!" Natsu yelled as he paced in a circle causing Happy and Lucy to smile as he ranted on, while Erza and Gray smiled.

"Actually, it's-" Happy teased, only to be interrupted by Lucy.

"Why does the Queen of Winter sound so familiar..." Lucy voiced as she raised her right hand and held her chin with her left hand on her right elbow while she thought, trying to remember where she heard it from.

"Ur is the strongest ice mage to have ever lived. Legends say that when she got mad she was surrounded by a stormy, violent winter." Erza recited from memory, remembering when Rob would tell stories to her and the other slaves like a parent would to their own child.

"If your teacher was so strong, why are you so weak Gray?" Happy taunted while Lucy held him by his stomach, only for them to scream and scatter when a volley of ice arrows was flung in their direction.

"Before she died, I promised I wouldn't let her down and that I would become a mage to be proud of. This is the last thing I have to remember her by!" Gray shouted with tears in his eyes as he tore his prized silver pendant off his neck and held it out, the stone glistening in the morning light making Natsu stare in shock. 'That's the pendant?! How does he have it? The council reported that it had been destroyed, they couldn't trace the magic...'

"I'm sorry to hear that, what was the spell she used to..." Lucy quietly asked as she walked towards him and gave him a hug. Gray shook in her arms as he layed his head down onto her comforting shoulder, listening to her whipser sweet nothings into his ear as she tried to help him calm down. Natsu walked over Erza to talk about what they should do next, and just as he was about to ask her, Gray spoke up.

"I don't know if Deliora has anything to do with the curse on this island, but I do know that it doesn't belong here! This cold emperor, I might know who he is, but if he tarnishes my master's legacy, they're going to regret the day they were born!" Gray yelled as Lucy stepped back. He then turned around and stormed through the cavern after the enemy mages, trying to investigate what is going on.

"Well, let's go stop that idiot before he does something he regrets eh?" Natsu asked as he turned around and started walking through the cave as Happy flew over to his shoulder, with Lucy in tow. Erza took one last look around the cavern before quietly running after them.

* * *

And onto the reviews

rocker pirate- chapter 7- Usually I don't respond or mention reviews from a member, but I just wanted to mention the review simply because I can see where he's coming from. I just barely finished episode 11, and Galuna Island is chapter 11-18. I get that you can lose interest when I take so long to write every chapter so detailed, but, I do have certain things planned for Galuna Island to not only revive Ur, and prepare the girls for the harem. I believe I have already stated this, but, I don't really like all the harem stories where the girls see Natsu once and fall in love with him on the spot even knowing that other girls like him as well. I don't really believe in love at first sight, I think that's lust. There is no possible way that you could meet someone new and fall in love with them immediately, without knowing their preferences, beliefs, ideals or morals. Maybe its just me, but that is what I believe in. Galuna Island is an important arc to this fanfic because it not only introduces characters like Ultear, Lyon, Sherry etc, but it is also where I need to revive Ur because that's what 17 of you wanted me to do. I need this arc for character development and my own little plot twist, even if I don't like the Galuna island arc myself. I'll be the first to admit that it is one of the most boring arcs in Fairy Tail, and I doubt I can write it any better than the hundreds of people who have rewritten Fairy tail, all I ask is you consider my reasons and keep on reading. I also realized that the last few chapters were a few too much like canon, so I hope you'll appreciate the 150% effort I put into this chapter on trying to be creative, while also giving you guys somewhat of a hint on what is to come.

Guest from chapter 9 - I'm honestly not sure whether Meredy will look at Natsu as a brother or lover because I've forgotten the harem list. I think I'll post it in every chapter from here on out so we all don't forget. And about Edolas. I'm not sure if I'll have Mystogan and Natsu working together, so whether Natsu would have his powers in Edolas to make a threat. However. Natsu may be envious since the Edolas Fairy Tail accepts Natsu.

* * *

Harem List (What did I get myself into xD). Anyone underlined has been officially added to the harem!

1\. Milliana

2\. Kagura Mikazuchi

3\. Sherry Blendy

4\. Lucy Heartfilia

5\. Ikaruga Ryu

6\. Wendy Marvell

7\. Erza Scarlet

8\. Sayla

9\. Kyoka

10\. Sorano Agria

11\. Yukino Agria

12\. Meredy

13\. Ultear Milkovich

14\. Brandish Myu

15\. Dimaria Yestia

16\. Hisui E Fiore

17\. Irene B

18\. Juvia Loxar

19\. Lisanna Strauss

20\. Minerva O

21\. Jenny Realight

22\. Mirajane Strauss

23\. Cana Alberona

24\. Ur Milkovich

25\. Celestial Spirits

\- Aquarious.


	11. Memories of the Past

And onto the story!

"Gray, slow down! C'mon, I can't keep up! Please!" Lucy cried while attempting to catch the frantic ice mage before he revealed their position to the enemy mages. She had tripped twice while running after Gray, before Happy grabbed her from the back and flew after Gray, prompting Thanks from Lucy. Both Erza and Natsu were trailing behind at a leisurely pace knowing Gray needed some space. Plus, Erza had noticed that when the floor caved in it blocked the only path out away from the demon without completely causing trouble.

"What else do you know? And I can only assume this is because of the council?" Erza asked as she and Natsu walked side by side hearing the heavy footfalls and desperate pleas from Gray and Lucy, respectively.

"Not much, not enough to make a difference anyway..." Natsu sighed as he rubbed his nose between his index and thumb. They were still in the dark, musty tunnel, and it was pissing him off. 'This smells so unnaturally bad... and why didn't I smell the ice in the first place... is it really that strong? I know Igneel could melt that, but could I?' He pondered as they continued to walk side by side.

"They mentioned gathering moon energy and the spell moon drip... Do you know anything about that at all?" Erza asked as she requipped a canteen of water. Unscrewing the cap and tipping her head back, letting her long, luscious scarlet locks flow down her back like a serene wave in a calm ocean. 'Holy... She looks so beautiful... NO! I have Mira...' Natsu thought, struggling with his morals and desires. He didn't even realize Erza was asking him a question until she socked him into the wall causing cracks to spread along the rock wall, all because she was irritated at being ignored.

"I was TRYING to ask if you wanted a drink." She said as she held out her hand to help him up, noticing, but not asking about the faint pink dusting his cheeks. "Do you want a drink?" She asked for the last time after he finally got back on his feet and bent down to wipe the dust off of his clothes. After standing up straight, he noticed that Erza was holding her canteen out for him with the other hand on her hips. Noticing her irritation, he used Gildart's trick number three for women. Say sorry, and be honest, partially.

 _-Flash Back Start-_

 _They are in Gildarts apartment, sitting in the small, spartan kitchen. There is a basic stone oven, with a fairly large white lacrima hanging from the ceiling. there is a large state of the art five-door freezing lacrima. Beside the lacrima is a large glass cabinet full of different alcohols and coolers, that's twice as large as the fridge, despite the young dragon slayer currently staying in the small, humble abode. There were 4 wooden chairs surrounding the large, round table. Two of the seats, however, were currently occupied, Happy napping in the sunlight from the window, while Natsu is patiently waiting for Gildarts to finish preparing lunch._

 _"Tell me, Natsu, What's up with you and Mira?" Gildarts asks as he turns around with a large cheeky grin on his face, knowing just how mad asking about her would make him feel, or, how mad it SHOULD have made it feel._

 _"What do ya mean? She's my best friend, well, besides Happy of course." Natsu replies, confused at what his second, surrogate father was meaning, and also a little sad since the other members of Fairy Tail still refused to talk to him, or spend time with him._

 _"Oh, boy do I have a lot to teach you," Gildarts replies with a sigh, as he sets the final plate of bento on the table before placing a small bowl of milk on the ground beside Happy's chair. Turning his head to make sure there was a fish on the counter, he turns back and sits across from his surrogate child who was tapping his foot repeatedly on the floor, quickly becoming impatient on waiting for his father to begin eating. After receiving a glare Natsu stopped tapping his foot on the floor and pouted with his arms crossed over chest._

 _"Look, Natsu. Soon, you'll start to feel different about certain people, and they might want to become more than friends." Gildarts attempts, unsure of how Dragon Slayers mate in the first place._

 _"Oh... You mean like, being attracted to girls and wanting to date them?" Natsu asks with an annoying smirk on his face, Shocking Gildarts into becoming a statue._

 _"Wha- But... UGH! Laxus told you, didn't he?" Gildarts finally asks with a sigh before taking a bite of his Abokichi._

 _"Yep!" Natsu replies before stuffing his face with even more Okazu._

 _"Oh, you think you know everything about women now don't you," Gildarts asks with a smirk on his face as he takes a drink of tea._

 _"Well, duh. Laxus taught me everything he knew." Natsu replied as he leaned forward to see if Happy had woken up yet, before taking a drink of water._

 _"Oh, isn't that just precious! Laxus, the brooding loner, taught you how to talk to girls?" Gildarts asks with a smug grin on his face, before taking another bite of his Abokichi._

 _"Well- erm... yeah?" Natsu says softly as he looks down at his meal, suddenly very subdued and quiet._

 _"Well, don't worry kid. Papa Gildarts has a lot to teach you..." Gildarts says with a gentle smile on his face as he reaches over and tilts Natsu's head upwards to look him in the eyes._

 _-Flash Back End-_

"I'm sorry, it's just that I'm worried if Deliora gets free we won't be able to defeat it," Natsu said as he ran his right hand through his hair in exhaustion, having never had expected to run into Deliora, and hoping that the reports were false.

"Well, from what Gray has told us, Ur was too busy trying to protect him than to actually fight Deliora right? And since you and Ur are approximately the same strength, according to the rumors at least. Not to mention both me and Gray are here, we should be able to handle it. I'm not sure if Lucy should fight a demon like that, Eisenwald was a lot different." Erza stated as they continued to walk forward, towards their teammates.

"Yeah! You're absolutely positively correct!" Natsu cheered with an immature grin on his face. Natsu's whole demeanor seemed to like up the tunnel, his happiness contagious. The same happiness causing a weird, a weird, but nice feeling in Erza's chest, 'this cannot be the curse, can it?' Erza pondered as she continued to keep walking, not noticing Natsu stop and close his eyes.

"Erza, wait, stop for a moment, please," Natsu says as he closed his eyes, straining his ears to try and find any trace of their teammates. The footfalls having disappeared, and Lucy's pleas lost to the musty tunnel.

"Why? What's wrong?" Erza questions as she turned around walking towards Natsu and putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I can't hear Lucy or Gray anymore. I can't even smell Happy anymore, and he reeks of fish!" Natsu says as magic power started gathering around Natsu's body, his panic manifesting into his magic.

"Come, we must hurry, who knows what trouble they unwittingly walked upon. _Requip; Flight Armor"_ Erza chants as her armor changes into a revealing leopard print bikini, with a cotton necklace around her neck, and a leopard print shoulder guard outlined on white on her left shoulder. She has leopard ears peeking out of her luscious scarlet locks, with a leopard print vambrace outlined in white with purple cloth covering her hand. She has black booty shorts and a mucous green waist cape hooked into her brown belt. She has purple thigh high stockings that are covered by armored boots with a leopard print knee guard on her left leg. All in all, she looked beautiful, even more so in the dark, giving her an ethereal glow.

"Wanna race?" Natsu asks with a smirk as he channels all of his magic into his feet. Natsu never got a reply, as she disappears from his sight with a flash of wind causing the smirk on his face to grown into a shit-eating grin.

"You are SO ON! _Fire-Steps!"_ Natsu chants as he disappears in an explosion of flames.

* * *

Harem List (What did I get myself into xD). Anyone underlined has been officially added to the harem!

1\. Milliana

2\. Kagura Mikazuchi

3\. Sherry Blendy

4\. Lucy Heartfilia

5\. Ikaruga Ryu

6\. Wendy Marvell

7\. Erza Scarlet

8\. Sayla

9\. Kyoka

10\. Sorano Agria

11\. Yukino Agria

12\. Meredy

13\. Ultear Milkovich

14\. Brandish Myu

15\. Dimaria Yestia

16\. Hisui E Fiore

17\. Irene B

18\. Juvia Loxar

19\. Lisanna Strauss

20\. Minerva O

21\. Jenny Realight

22\. Mirajane Strauss

23\. Cana Alberona

24\. Ur Milkovich

25\. Celestial Spirits

\- Aquarius

- _Libra_

 _-Gemini_

The italicized names are possible. I'm not sure if Gemini would work because I don't know what gender both halves are. If ya know, please let me know too in the comments below.


	12. The Buxom Blonde and a Flying Cat

And onto the story...

Back with Lucy and Gray...

"Gray! Come on, please slow down! I can't keep up!" Lucy shouted as she stopped running and bent her back, resting her hands on her thighs while she attempted to catch her breath. And unfortunately, Gray was too caught up in his guilt to hear anything happening outside of his head. However, perhaps luck was on Lucy's side because Happy flew up and grabbed the back of her shirt, and picked her up, and they kept on following Gray.

"Thanks, Happy... Did any of you know that Gray had this type of baggage?" Lucy asked after she finally caught her breath. Happy was going at a slower pace because he picked her up, and Gray showed no signs of slowing down whatsoever.

"Nope! But, I never really talked to him much, he's really weird. I usually just hang out with Natsu" Happy said with slight exhaustion from all the excitement of the day.

"What about when he goes on missions, or... when he goes to council meetings?" Lucy asked with a little more pep in her voice, having had slightly caught her breath.

"Usually I go on missions with him, unless he has to be incogkneetoe, then I stay with Mira and she gives me lotsa fish!" Happy said, but trailed off by the end, beginning to salivate at the mere mention of fish.

"Wait, don't you mean incognito?" Lucy asks with a curious tone of voice as she wraps her arms around her midsection so that they don't drag on the rough floor of the cave.

"Aye! Sometimes Natsu goes on special missions where he's not supposed to be Natsu." Happy replies, blissfully innocent of the fact that he was saying more than he was supposed to. That was one of the reasons why Natsu was almost glad Happy only talked to Mira and Laxus, well, most of the time at least.

"And how long do these missions usually go for?" Lucy asked curiously, hoping to get as much information from the ignorant exceed as possible since he was too focused on flying to realize what he was doing.

"Maybe two or three weeks." Happy said as they drifted a little closer to the ground because Happy was growing tired.

"And during that time you stay with Mira and she gives you fish?" Lucy asks, making the mistake of reminding the playful feline of his favorite food while being given a lift by the said feline. At the mere mention of fish Happy was stuck in a daze, and started drooling.

"DON'T YOU DARE DROOL ON ME!" Lucy screamed, causing Happy to drop her due to the sheer pitch of her scream and cover his poor, blue ears with his tiny little hands. Which, of course, made her scream once more as she fell bust first to the ground, because more mass means more gravity, and, her tits are a helluva a lot heavier than her head, am I right?!

When Lucy's absurdly large, disproportioned chest hit the ground, her head slammed down onto the cold rock floor, knocking her out and leaving a large gash on her forehead that started bleeding like a gusher. Happy, in his attempt to save his ears from the high-pitched abuse, he pitched his head downwards to be able to cover his ears better. He never saw the rock protruding from the wall, and smashed right into it, causing a small gash to form on the back of his head knocking him out. And then, he fell onto the cold, rough ground in a mess of limbs and green cloth.

Two Minutes Later

"I think I heard them from over here!" Yuka shouted as he ran through the cavern, his whole body shimmering with a thin white aura, that lit up the room as he held a small rectangular lacrima in his hand.

"Good... Bring them to me... I need answers!" An ominous voice seeps out of the lacrima, giving Yuka his orders which he complied to.

"Yes, Cold Emperor," Yuka replied as he put the lacrima in his pocket, before grabbing Lucy's belt with his left hand and dragged her towards Happy, who he picked up with his right hand before turning around and exiting down the tunnel he entered through, leaving a trail of Lucy's blood on the floor before he disappeared into the dark.

The tunnel was dark, cold and silent until a flash or fire interrupted the serenity of silence. Natsu flashed into existence just as Erza touched the ground sending a gust of wind down the tunnel.

"Why did we..." Erza trailed off as she noticed the puddle of blood on the ground before she knelt down to inspect it, before noticing a trail of blood leading down an almost invisible tunnel. Natsu was completely confused, as he could smell the blood, but still couldn't smell Lucy herself, which left him befuddled.

"I can't smell her..." Natsu whispered as he stood stock still, staring down the tunnel which caused Erza to look up in pure, unadulterated shock, having an idea of just how good his nose was.

* * *

And onto the reviews

The guest from Chapter 11- Meredy could act like a younger sister, but what I want to do with her, would be a kid's crush. You know those dumb crushes young girls have on rock stars and celebrities? I want to do something like that... So it's like that unattainable goal, so when Natsu treats her like a sister she takes what she can get... But when she's older, all bets are off!

* * *

Harem List (What did I get myself into xD).

[Libra and Gemini are maybes]

1\. Milliana

2\. Kagura Mikazuchi

3\. Sherry Blendy

4\. Lucy Heartfilia

5\. Ikaruga Ryu

6\. Wendy Marvell

7\. Erza Scarlet

8\. Sayla

9\. Kyoka

10\. Sorano Agria

11\. Yukino Agria

12\. Meredy

13\. Ultear Milkovich

14\. Brandish Myu

15\. Dimaria Yestia

16\. Hisui E Fiore

17\. Irene B

18\. Juvia Loxar

19\. Lisanna Strauss

20\. Minerva O

21\. Jenny Realight

22\. Mirajane Strauss

23\. Cana Alberona

24\. Ur Milkovich

25\. Celestial Spirits

\- Aquarius

- _Libra_

 _-Gemini_

 _-_ Opichius

* * *

Since you probably already guessed why/how Natsu wasn't able to smell Lucy. Yuka was using his magic to cloak himself from essentially any device or magic that could find somebody. And since Natsu's enhanced senses are because of his magic, I figured... ;)

Remeber, Yuka is an anti mage that can block any/most magic.


	13. The Pain of Loss

And onto the story! A new format, all is in the end notes.

Natsu hadn't moved ever since he realized he couldn't smell the overwhelming stench of rotting fish from Happy, the fresh floral scent from Lucy or even the assumed captors. He just stood there, his eyes turning bloodshot and his magic was beginning to get out of control. His whole body was covered in a pure, blindingly white fire (A/N like burning magnesium!).

"Natsu! Stop! Get control of yourself!" Erza yelled, worried about the repercussions of all that destructive fire magic loose and rampant while they were in an underground tunnel, who knows how far beneath the surface, let alone being trapped with a demon trapped under an abandoned temple. Unfortunately for her, Natsu was unable to hear Erza in his panic, as he stared down the tunnel his friends were presumed to have been taken through, his mind was going through every possible scenario on how they injured her, given the large puddle of blood. His rage intensified due to the fact that he specifically promised to take care of her, and he already failed! Cracks had already begun forming on the ground and walls, all the moisture in the air rapidly being consumed by the ever-growing flame. Even the air itself had begun to disappear, the flames consuming it as if they were starving, and having had never been fed. The cave they were in begun to shake as Natsu's magic output showed no signs of stopping, his rage fueling his flames more than they ever have before.

"ENOUGH!" Erza yelled as she tackled him into the wall, having re-quipped into her Flame Empress Armor to simply be able to withstand the daunting heat. Fortunately, Erza was able to knock some sense into Natsu.

He felt someone tackle him, and he didn't know who or why he was even tackled. Finally being snapped out of his thoughts, he looked around to try and figure out who had tackled him. Seeing longs locks of scarlet on his face, he remembered exactly where he was, and knew exactly who had tackled him, Erza. After lifting his head up, he saw her and once realizing what position he was in, blushed. Erza, in the Flame Empress Armor, was currently straddling him as his back was pressed against the wall, small cracks surrounding his form from the force of the tackle. However, once he realized WHY she tackled him, he quickly cut off his magical output and began to profusely apologize at a speed it made him intelligible.

Unluckily for him, Erza was still very annoyed at him perceivably ignoring her and getting caught up in his flames of emotion, letting it run rampant throughout the cave during his miniature panic attack. Which of course, no doubt alerted the enemy mages that there were, in fact, more intruders than simply a busty blonde and a blue flying cat.

She was furious about the fact they lost any semblance of surprise and slightly shocked by how much magic power Natsu had. He was constantly putting out more, and more magic power, accelerating so exponentially it was obvious he was nowhere near his max. It wasn't anywhere near that of Gildarts, Makarov or even Laxus, but since it never stopped who knows how close to them he actually is. Which shouldn't have been surprising given his rank amongst the Wizard Saints, but none of the mages at Fairy Tail had ever actually seen him fight before, or use any more magic than to light a torch.

SMACK! Rang out through the tunnel, as Natsu's face was swiftly displaced towards the wall.

"You stupid fool!" Erza yelled, venting her own worry at the disappearance of her teammates, through her anger.

"They now know for certain that Lucy was no longer alone! They can even set up traps and defenses since they now know exactly where we are!" She bellowed with her breathing becoming haggard and ragged as she continued her rant. Luckily, Natsu was quick to break out of his shock as he disappeared in a flash, causing Erza to fall the rest of the distance to the ground and scream in righteous anger, releasing all her worry for Lucy and Happy, and her anger at Gray and Natsu for getting too caught up in their feelings to act responsibly. Which of course, was so unlike the usually stoic knight.

She stood up, taking in a huge breath of fresh air, and waiting a few seconds before letting it all out along with all her current anger and stress before silently re-quipping into her iconic hearts Kreuz armor. When she turned around she saw Natsu crouching down with his left hand on his knee and his right on the ground beside the now burnt, mostly evaporated puddle of blood, leaving behind a revolting burnt, metallic scent. He trailed his right index and middle finger around the puddle scraping some of the burnt blood up to his nose so he could smell it. down beside the now burnt pile, mostly evaporated puddle of blood, leaving behind a revolting burnt, metallic scent. Having finally come to some result or another he silently stood back up and turned towards Erza, looking her straight in the eye.

"None of this blood is Grays, so where is he?" Natsu silently intoned, his voice so monotonous is sent a shiver down Erza's spine. The amount of controlled fury in that single question was enough that it made Erza pity Gray. They had believed that Gray and Lucy were together, but since they weren't both Lucy and Happy were injured and couldn't even be assumed alive or dead. Sure there wasn't enough blood that they could have bled out, but, who knows what has happened to them since.

"That is very curious," Erza replied, all her emotions now under control, hiding her heart behind her armor once more.

"So how shall we do this? You could probably track both of them better than I can, however, there are only two roads to choose from which makes this decision quite obvious." Erza said as she walked forward to stand in front of Natsu, having to tilt her chin up slightly to look him in the eye.

"We're splitting up," Natsu sighed as he looked towards the ground, his right hand coming up to run through his black tipped Salmon colored locks. "I'll follow Lucy and Happy, and attempt to rescue them. Besides, Gray will listen to you more than he would I" Natsu said as he re-quipped a lacrima handing it to Erza who had a quizzical expression on her face as she accepted the lacrima before she realized it's purpose.

"If you find anything let me know, pour some magic into the lacrima to activate a telepathic relay. It will allow us to talk without giving away our positions." Natsu said as he turned towards the tunnel, beginning to walk down the dark tunnel, his dragon eyes glowing slightly as they adjusted to the dark, as he pulled his hood over his head, covering his pink hair, allowing himself to blend in with the darkness.

Erza watched as he slowly entered the darkness, his cloak emphasizing his size making him seem imposing, which made her realize he is no longer the boy she had been jealous of, but a man who cared too much for his friends.

Taking Natsu's lead, Erza whispered a spell to a new armor, she had recently acquired.

" _Requip: Armor of the Lizard Queen!"_ Erza silently chanted with her eyes closed as her whole body glowed in a pure pearlescent white as her Hearts Kreuz armor was instantly replaced by a full body skin suit made completely out of scales of different shades of green, even hiding her luscious scarlet locks under a form fitting cowl. Her eyes and nose were covered in a thin material that was see through from one side only, with a magic circle that siphoned minuscule amounts of the users magic to power a few magic circles. One of them was a night vision circle and there was also a magic filter for her nose and mouth to prevent Inhaling smoke, dust, and other toxins.

She silently approached the wall of the tunnel, with her steps making no sound whatsoever, and her scent being diminished and removed due to the magic circles covering the inside of her armor. Her fingers were noticeably longer as her arms swung by her sides because of her armor granting long, deadly claws that could inject the victim with various different agents and paralytics that could incapacitate its victim. As soon as she touched the wall, every single scale began to change color flipping over to match the exact hue and texture of the wall, making her invisible in every sense of the word. The lacrima Natsu had given her had disappeared during her change of armor, however, it was still in use since she charged it with enough magic to power it for a long while. She continued down the cave, looking for any signs of Gray getting into a struggle, or any clues whatsoever. And so she continued on, finding no signs of a struggle at all. And with one last step, she disappeared into the dark.

 **With Gray after Lucy and Happy's capture**

Gray was currently sprinting down the tunnel as fast as magically possible, almost as if he was trying to run away from the past. Which, in essence, that was exactly what he was doing. 'Deliora, how, why. How did they even find him?!' Gray thought as he continued to bolt down the tunnel, somehow not tripping, falling or even stumbling for even a second. It was amazing how the tunnel seemed to be endless, in fact, if Gray was watching closely, the tunnel was being forged in front of his very eyes, falling apart and reforming silently without any hint as to what was causing it. It was only too bad that Gray was suffering from the nightmares of his past, to escape the plight of his future, as from the dark if he was paying attention he would see two ivory horns attached to a burgundy mask peeking out along with a mess of green hair, watching his every, single, move.

 _Flashback to when he was a child._

Gray was standing on a mountain top as snow rained down, hunched over huffing and puffing, seemingly out of breath while a woman twice his height was standing strong and proud in front of him with her hands on her hips looking out over the snowy ice caps and rocky mountains. She was wearing a short beige hoodless parka that didn't even reach her waist, leaving her toned midriff exposed to the harsh bitter winds of the cold winter mountain top. Her cuffs and collar were a dark volcanic gray and her pants were black with a cacky colored leather belt. She had dark purple hair cut at shoulder length, so dark it was almost black, with an all too familiar silver sword pendant attached to a chain necklace around her neck.

"Are you going to be able to keep up, Gray?" the woman asks with a melodious voice as she turns her head towards the child, who had finally been able to stand back straight, revealing his determined, almost angry face with downturned eyebrows and gritted teeth. She turned around even further. revealing her beautiful angelic face, with large black eyes and thin almost non-existent eyebrows.

"I'd warned you, training with me would be tough." She says as she looks towards her young ward as he too looked into her eyes, still huffing as he replied. "Yeah, but I'll do whatever it takes, Ur" By now his breath was beginning to come in normally as he continued to look her dead in the eyes.

They stood like this for a few moments. The woman now known as Ur was considering what she was about to do, knowing that she could never take it back, or change it. If she were to do this, it would forever change young Gray's life. Gray, on the other hand, was still staring her dead in the eyes, hoping his confidence would convince this woman to help him fulfill his goal, and seek revenge upon those who have done him, and his whole family wrong. After a few more minutes of tense silence, the young woman finally seemed to have come to a decision, as she looked to the sky, almost as if she was asking for forgiveness before returning Gray's confident stare.

"Well then, let's get started shall we?" Ur asks as the gem in her pendant started to glow as her magical aura began to appear, freezing the very ground she stood on. She turned around so that Gray could watch her hand movements from behind. She brought her hands together in front of her chest summoning a majestic blue fractal magic circle into existence that's radius extended upon that of her shoulder width. She moved her hands apart, doing a few more hand movements before slamming her right fist upon her left palm, causing an icy mist to form around her body. She moved her hands to her left side, before bringing them above her head, letting the icy aura grow before slamming a hand down on both sides, causing a large, intricate ten-foot medieval shield to form in front of her that glowed with an ethereal light. Turning around she watched her young pupil attempt the same spell, which only backfired as a small shield formed in front of him, only to shatter, causing Gray to fly back into a snow drift head first causing only his legs to be seen as his muffled cries could be heard causing the woman to throw her head back and laugh.

 _flash back end_

A single tear could be seen running down Gray's face, as he continued to run, beginning to slow down slightly due to exhaustion as he had been running for almost an hour now at an impressive speed. Somehow or other, he had still not noticed the fact that as he continued running, the tunnel continued to form three feet in front of him at the same speed he was running, leading him further and further away from Deliora, but, closer and closer to the green haired Mask wearer who kept appearing and disappearing, always keeping a close eye on Gray, but never too long to be sensed by even the some of the most observant of mages.

As Gray continues to run he began to slow down, his exhaustion settling in as he collapsed to the ground on his hands and knees in what almost appeared to be the downward dog position. Whether from exhaustion or sadness, nobody but him could truly tell. Once he regained some of his energy he finally sat back onto his ankles. When Gray finally looked around, he realized he was left in what appeared to be an abandoned underground necropolis. There was a large stone altar in front of a faded, dusty wall painting. On each side of the stone altar, there were two identical stone columns completely covered in more of the detailed hieroglyphics that were in the entrance of the temple. On both sides of the room, there were a startling amount of stone coffins lining the perimeter of the room. As Gray continued to gawk at the sheer amount of coffins in the room, he completely missed the sound of footsteps behind him until the approaching person made themselves known through their words alone.

"Amazing isn't it?" A creepy voice said from right behind Gray, so close he could feel they're breath on his right ear. Gray, having had not even known someone was behind him, literally shot up in fright, so fast that the source of the creepy voice couldn't move back fast enough, causing their burgundy leather mask to fly off of their face, making a bright light shine through the room. Fortunately for Gray, his eyes were not pointed towards the light so his vision was not impaired whatsoever. There were snowflakes comically flying around his head while his eyes were spiraling due to the impact of his head on his(?) hard leather mask.

Once the light died down instead of a scrawny creepy man with long green hair, A stunning voluptuous woman with dark purple long hair was left in his place. She was wearing a revealing indigo kimono with white outlines. There was a very deep V-neck that revealed almost too much boob flesh. Around her waist was a thick black belt, which only went to prove just how perfect her curves are. There was a large slit on the leg of her dress proving to everyone just how long and perfect her legs truly were

When Gray was finally able to function like a normal Fairy Tail mage again, he quickly jumped to his feet, to figure out who or what had snuck up on him, he was absolutely flabbergasted to see a younger version of his dead master, which only served to befuddle him even more, since Ur is supposed to be head. However, Gray was not able to stay in control of his mouth.

"Ur..." Gray sighed in a mixture of awe, confusion, and sadness as he stared at the beautiful unknown woman with a scary resemblance to his dead master. She, however, was completely focused on the pendant around his neck, looking shell-shocked to see her mother's pendant on one of her student's necks, as Master Hades had told her it had been lost with Deliora.

"Where did you get that?!" The Ur look alike shouted as she pointed her right index finger at Ur's necklace that was around his neck. Gray, sadly, was way too caught up on the fact that this unknown woman bore a striking resemblance to his dead master. The same woman who was, in fact, being killed a little more every single day due to the moon drip.

"Uh... What?" Gray asked, still not released from the trance from seeing someone who looked too much like Ur at a time like this. In fact, he actually thought at first that he was hallucinating due to the trauma of seeing Deliora again. And of course, the idiot ignored the fact that hitting an apparition wouldn't leave him dazed, but, nobody said Gray was smart.

"The pendant! Where did you get that pendant?!" The Ur look alike screamed as she continued to point at the chain around his neck, finally causing him to snap out of his trance and quickly grasp the pendant in his right palm as he began to gather magic in his left. Prepared to protect the final thing he had left of his master to his final breath.

"Forget that, who the hell are you! And why in the name of Mavis do you look like Ur?!" Gray shouted back as the very air around his body began to glow with an icy blue aura as he began to channel more magic around his body in preparation for a fight. The woman, however, looked as if she had been slapped at the mere mention of her name, causing Gray to come to a scary realization.

"Ur had said that her daughter, Ultear, had died as a child due to a sickness even not the council could heal. But she was never allowed to see the body," Gray said aloud as he stared at the unknown woman straight in the eyes, hoping to see if the woman would react at all to his statement. It would appear that Gray was right on the money because the second he finished his sentence she disappeared in a flash of light with a heartbroken look on her face, her anger having had been swept away by the memories of the past.

It would appear that Gray was right on the money because the second he finished his sentence she disappeared in a flash of light with a heartbroken look on her face, her anger having had been swept away by the memories of the past. Leaving Gray with the knowledge that somehow, she had in fact been able to survive, only leaving him with more questions and pain. 'If she lived, why didn't she ever come back' Gray thought with a sigh as he clenched the pendant in his left hand even harder, sad that Ur had not been able to see her daughter even once before she died. 'She would have been overjoyed that her daughter had survived, she never forgave herself, believe that if she had taken Ultear in even a day sooner, that she would have had a better chance, it seemed Ur had done right by her daughter either way' Gray thought with a small smile on his face as he turned around to investigate necropolis for any information on _Moon Drip._

After about twenty minutes of scrutinizing every hieroglyph and every coffin for any clue at all, it became apparent that Gray was about to strike out because for the third time that day, he never noticed he was being watched once again. Just as he was about to inspect the last line of coffins, he nearly jumped in fright when a scaly clawed hand was placed upon his shoulder, and when he whirled around with a sword made completely out of ice ready to strike his assailant, he was shocked that his attack was not only blocked, but the sword was cleanly cut into five pieces once it came in contact with the claws on the attackers hands. But what was even more frightening for Gray, was see Erza in a skin-tight suit made of scales, which meant he had attacked Erza! But, the look on her face was what made Gray's face become a pale, ghostly white. Because, She, Was PISSED!

* * *

Harem List (What did I get myself into xD).

[Libra and Gemini are maybes]

1\. Milliana

2\. Kagura Mikazuchi

3\. Sherry Blendy

4\. Lucy Heartfilia

5\. Ikaruga Ryu

6\. Wendy Marvell

7\. Erza Scarlet

8\. Sayla

9\. Kyoka

10\. Sorano Agria

11\. Yukino Agria

12\. Meredy

13\. Ultear Milkovich

14\. Brandish Myu

15\. Dimaria Yestia

16\. Hisui E Fiore

17\. Irene B

18\. Juvia Loxar

19\. Lisanna Strauss

20\. Minerva O

21\. Jenny Realight

22\. Mirajane Strauss

23\. Cana Alberona

24\. Ur Milkovich

25\. Celestial Spirits

\- Aquarius

- _Libra_

 _-Gemini_

 _-_ Opichius

* * *

And onto the reviews!

A guest from Chapter 2- I get it, it's very OOC and weird. But, if you know that I adopted it, I would have appreciated you at least reading my work, instead of reading only Korusaki's work. But, that's just me being a little petty. Thanks for giving this story a chance.

A guest from Chapter 5- well, if over 20 people are not what you call a mega harem, I formally apologize. Please comment on how large a "mega harem" is. Please.

* * *

Fire's can run on their own consuming oxygen or firewood. I believe that if Natsu was smart enough he would be able to have his fire consume the air or another form of fuel, and not just use it to change the air flow like he did with Ergior. Just an idea. Tell me what you think.


	14. Ignorance is Bliss

Continuing New Format, On With the Story!

 **Gray's PoV**

"Where were you!" Erza inquiries in a scarily soft tone that was still, somehow, sharper than her claws that held the shattered and broken pieces of Gray's sword as he stood there scared and gobsmacked all while missing his shirt, and in the process of removing his pants.

"Uhhhh..." Gray replied, still shocked and a tad flustered to see Erza in such a skin-tight costume appearing perceivably out of nowhere. Gray's response and lack of knowledge of they're current situation only infuriated Erza further, causing her to lash out with her claws, leaving 4 cuts on Gray's chest, seeing as she wasn't aiming to incapacitate him. He was flung into one of the freakily beautiful carved columns, causing it to break and crumble due to the sheer age of it.

As Gray sat there confused and otherwise befuddled, Erza silently stalked towards him in a way reminiscent of the same animal her armor was made from. Gray actually felt fear as she continued to stalk towards him, her long scarlet locks covering her left eye as her head drifted downwards while a purple aura started to cover her whole body. Gray also started to feel something else as well as he watched her almost strut in a skin-tight leather... however, that growing feeling was quickly diminishing with each step she took.

"Do you know where Lucy is?" Erza asked in a whisper as she was only a few feet away. Gray's head snapped up in shock as that was the last thing he was expecting her to say.

"Uh... What?" Gray asked completely befuddled as to why Erza was asking about Lucy of all things while they were in a sanctuary that could probably explain more about the temple and moon drip, especially how to stop it. 'What does she mean, Do I know where Lucy is...' Gray thought, almost completely ignoring Erza which made her even more steamed than she already was, which was already to the max.

"You know, Lucy was actually worried about how you were feeling, and she tried to follow you and help. Do you know what that got her?" Erza asked rhetorically as she started pacing in front of Gray, who had no clue whatsoever on what was going on, or why she was ranting about Lucy of all people during an emergency subjugation class quest.

"No offense Erza but, we're all proud of Lucy. However, this is not the time to disc-" Gray started only to be cut off by a furious Erza, who for some reason was still in that Lizard armor that made concentrating that much harder.

"She's been captured you idiot! And you know what the worst part is? All we have left of her and Happy are puddles of blood that not even Natsu can track! DO you finally understand how grave the situation we have is?!" Erza screamed in his face, that had become paler, and paler with every word that came out of her lips. His jaw even dropped at the fact that Natsu was unable to track them. He was completely horrified at the fact that both Lucy AND Happy had been captured, even injured, just trying to help him.

"Wha- How?! Why?!" Gray yells in denial, not willing to accept the fact that Lucy and Happy are injured, possibly tortured. Hell, they could even be dead, just because they wanted to help him. And the worst part was, that he was too ignorant to hear their cries. Too caught up in his own problems, creating more without even trying. 'Please, I can't be responsible for more pain, please Mavis, let them be okay' Gray thought as he looked down at his own two hands, that only seemed to cause people more pain.

"Lucy was worried about you with everything going on and she wanted to make sure you were ok, seems it's your job to return the favor, isn't it". Erza stated with no room to argue as she kept her hands on her shapely hips. emphasizing just how mad she was.

"Dear Mavis, what have I done?" Gray silently asks as he stood up and looked Erza in the eyes. "Wheres Natsu?" He asked as he started to move towards the exit of the room with Erza in tow, completely focused on making it right with Lucy, and ensuring she's ok.

"We split up to have a better chance to find you, Natsu's trying to pick up the scent on Lucy, so come on, we have no time to waste!" Erza said as she started to sprint down the newly formed tunnel with Gray by her side.

 **With Natsu, his PoV**

'I can't be too late, not again. Please, I can't loose anyone else' Natsu thought as he was slowly and carefully walking down the tunnel, looking for a blood trail, however, focusing on searching was quite difficult while his imagination was going through every possibility of what is happening to his closest friends, especially since there is a high chance they were torturing Lucy and Happy since they are so willing to kill.

'Come on, come on! Mavis, Igneel, anyone, please let me save my friends.' Natsu chanted internally like it was his only hope as he searched, he even crawled around on all fours, sniffing as if he was doing drugs, and looking around as if he was paranoid. He began to lose hope after a few more feet of the cave without any trace from either of his friends.

Seconds turned into minutes, which felt like hours. Natsu felt a whirlpool of emotions during those desperate minutes. Pain and guilt were at the forefront. 'I should have followed her. She was my responsibility. Happy, has always been my responsibility. How can I face them, how can I go home without my only friends.' Natsu thought as tears built up in his eyes, his hands clenched due to a mixture of terror and pain, the sheer fact Natsu couldn't smell his friends only added to his terror. Never has his scent of smell not be able to track even the slyest of criminals, not the childish games of when Happy was growing up. So for someone to be able to completely block his heightened senses could only attest to the strength of their foes.

"Please let them be ok," Natsu muttered as he decided to risk it and used _flaming steps_ to zip around in an attempt to find the trail faster, and in a single minute, he had gone over about fifty square feet of the tunnel, and while he had found no trail or sign of the captors or Lucy or Happy, he had realised that the tunnel was only one way, so that until he found another exit he wouldn't have to be as thorough. Until he remembered something that Laxus had taught him when they trained as kids.

 _"Remeber Natsu, not everything is as it seems, there is no room for error when you are thorough." Laxus had said while they were studying books about different magic types and weaknesses._

"Fuck! I have to be super careful, it's their lives on the line" Natsu said as he punched the wall of the tunnel in anger, causing the whole temple to tremble as if it were alive. 'Please, Anyone, everyone, please let them be ok... even you, Zeref.' Natsu thought as he gathered some magic in his hand to form an arrow made of fire.

" _Fire Make: Arrows!"_ Natsu said as he formed a dozen or so in front of his chest, before quickly extending his right arm fully, sending them flying down the cave, lighting it up as it went allowing him to quickly look around while still testing the length of the cave.

The arrows flew down the cave about seventy feet before smashing into a wall which was obviously because the tunnel was bending into a turn.

"No time to waste" Natsu muttered as he disappeared in a flash only to reappear seconds later at the bend of the tunnel. he quickly inspected the wall in front of him before turning to the side, and when he did, he was shocked at what he saw.

"Oh, COME ON!" Natsu shouted as he was staring straight into something that could take hours, if not days to escape. Just a few steps before him stood an elaborately decorated maze of all things! The walls were made of stone decorated with Hieroglyphs covering every inch and foot of the walls, even the edges and ceilings were not spared from this forgotten story. When Natsu put more effort into attempting to understand them, he realized that they were about the history of the very temple he was standing in. It was about the cult that had forced demons of all things to build this ironically holy temple. It t even said it would explain what moon drip was created for in the first place, and not just to be able to break a spell. But as Natsu entered the maze, he realized that at every splitting of paths, the story was different for each path.

"If I'm right... I should be able to find the exit through the maze by knowing the history behind the temple and how they created _Moon Drip._ But, if I go down the wrong path, danger awaits me" Natsu said out loud as he walked into the maze, trailing his fingers along the wall, reading the hieroglyphs as he went. After reading the first "part" per say, of the story, he found the first deviation in his path. He approached the split entrance before remembering what, well more exactly whom he was looking for.

"I don't have time for this, I have to find them, not even this maze will stop me!" Natsu said as his eyes started to glow brighter before becoming encompassed with flames as he started to channel his magic around his whole body causing an updraft which removed his hood and caused his cape to billow.

" _Fire Dragons Sword Horn!"_ Natsu yelled as his magic power grew around him, as fire drifted upwards to his head. The head of a dragon had been formed out of fire upon Natsu's head. Wings of fire formed on his back, making him look as if he was half dragon, half human. The wings stretched open as if prepared to take off. And with one step forward as if he was lunging, the ground beneath his feet cracked as his wings cracked downward before he disappeared from sight, launching forward towards the wall, smashing through it, and the one after that, and so on until he reached the other side. Some traps were sprung, and pitfalls were overcome when he flew through more walls.

"Man those walls were harder than I thought..." Natsu grumbled as he turned around and looked at the destruction he wrought while rubbing his slightly sore head with his right hand. Now he knew why his head hurt, he had broken through not two, not seven, but over thirty walls were broken and crumbled. "Man Gramps is gonna kill me!" He moaned as he turned around only to stare gobsmacked and annoyed at the fact there was yet another tunnel to traverse.

"Oh come on! Seriously! How big is this fricking temple." Natsu shouted as he disappeared in a flash that zipped around the tunnel like faulty fireworks on crack. And finally, after almost twenty minutes of nonstop searching, Natsu had finally found something. amongst the dust and dirt scattered upon the cold hard ground, was Happy's small green cloth that he used as a backpack.

"Finally something! Thank Mavis, I'm on the right path." Natsu said as he picked up the small green bag with both hands very carefully, before opening it looking for any clues, only to find the few jewels Happy always carried for emergencies. Closing the bag, Natsu held it towards his nose to have a better chance of catching the scent. Low and behold, Natsu finally had a path to follow, a goose to chase.

' _Come on Erza, pick up the signal. Come on! Wait! For the Love of Mavis, please don't tell me something is blocking it?!'_ Natsu thought as he requipped his lacrima to contact Erza, hoping that she kept it on her and that nothing happened to possibly break it.

' _Please, please pick up Erza, we need to work together to fix this'_ Natsu thought as he kept walking down the tunnel that hopefully lead to his surrogate son and his blonde friend. ' _Please, Come on!'_ Natsu thought as he started to get irritated, even though he is strong on his own, Fairy Tail has always been stronger together.

 **Currently With Erza, Same Time.**

Both Erza and Gray were currently running down the tunnel that the mysterious masked man, well, woman? had made. Erza, for some reason, decided to STAY in _the armor of the Lizard Queen._ And that single decision was wreaking hell upon Gray's focus, he was torn between trying to find his missing friends, and discreetly looking at Erza.

She, however, was one hundred percent focused on finding their friends, all of them. Their first job was to find Natsu, since he had the best chance of finding either Happy or Lucy, hopefully both. She was so focused, that she forgot about the lacrima Natsu had given her. The scene between Gray and whom he assumed to be his master's daughter was quite shocking, especially her interest in his necklace, but under more consideration, it is probably because it was her assumed mothers. But she did look familiar, it truly is unfortunate that Erza was too preoccupied to make the connection.

That was until she started to feel a weird sensation in her chest region. It was the most peculiar feeling, it was as if they were, vibrating? 'That's strange, The magic circles on my armor must be malfunctioning...' she thought as she continued to run by Gray's side, completely unaware of the fact that the lacrima was actually glowing as it was vibrating, making Gray stop to stare in shock.

"Gray! I thought you were are of just how dire our situation is!" Erza yelled as she stopped to glare at Gray as a malicious purple aura started to form around her. And unfortunately for him, the fact he was staring at a certain area of her body was too evident.

"Gray Fullbuster, you have one second to explain yourself since we need your help to recover Lucy and Happy!" Erza raged as she stormed towards Gray until the vibrating went to an even more violent level, causing her to blush.

"Uh, Well, Um... YOUR CHEST IS GLOWING!" Gray yelled before he started to run again, hoping to escape her wrath even though he knew it was a hopeless endeavor. Evidently, that was not what Erza expected to hear, and when she looked down she realized that he wasn't lying.

"How could I be so foolish! Please hit me for my ignorance!" Erza yelled as she bowed down, expecting Gray to slap her in the face, or punch her. And after a minute of waiting, she looked upwards only to find herself alone once again!

"Gray, I swear to Mavis, if you don't get back her right this instant, I'm going to have to tell Natsu you were taken down in a fight! That way, it isn't my fault!" Erza screamed before bolting after him, planning to incapacitate him brutally and quickly.

It seemed that Gray's luck was completely out, and karma had come back to take him down. All of the running around and such he's done without rest or meal had left him completely drained, allowing Erza to catch up to him within minutes without having to use her _Flight Armor_ at all. And just as predicted, she was by his side within minutes.

 **Back With Natsu.**

"For the Love of Mavis! Please tell me she didn't break it! I only have 2, and I can't get any more. They aren't even for sale! I only got them because of my rank!" Natsu groaned, trying not to panic about Happy and Lucy, trying to stay hopeful, which wasn't a complete success, however, he was in better control than he was earlier...

"I'm slowly running out of time." Natsu realized as he looked down the tunnel. "Let me rephrase that, Happy and Lucy are running out of time..." He stated softly as he looked at the lacrima in his hands as if willing Erza to answer.

 _'Erza, if you don't answer the lacrima I'll have to go on my own. For the sake of our friends, we must act with haste. Please, Erza, if the lacrima is still functioning I need you to answer. Otherwise, I'm going have to do the best I can, no distractions, no backup.'_ Natsu thought as he continued to walk down the tunnel with the communication lacrima in his right hand, while he requipped some leather vanguards, just in case. Just as Natsu had lost hope, merely seconds before he cut off his magic to the lacrima and requipping it, he received a call.

 _'Natsu its Erza, I've found Gray, do you have any progress to report?'_ Erza queried telepathically causing Natsu's face to light up in joy, finally having confirmation that backup is a possibility. If there is a fight during the rescue, Natsu won't have to worry about either of his friends getting caught up in the crossfire, especially when you have a strong defensive mage like Gray in the fight. And for once on this terrible day, Natsu finally felt a semblance of hope blooming in his chest.

' _This is good! No, not just good, Great! Erza, I've caught onto the trail, come find me as soon as possible because I was hesitant to engage on my own.'_ Natsu replied before requipping and lighting a torch before stabbing it into the ground, like a marker to let Erza and Gray know that they were on the right path.

' _What did you find? Please tell me there isn't more blood, And if you tell me there is, there is no force in Ishgar that will stop me from castrating you!'_ Erza declared so callously.

 **Erza's PoV**

' _Yes, mam! How's Gray? Is he ready for action? Or will he be a liability due to his past experiences...'_ Natsu asked, momentarily shocking Erza since that was the last thing she would have ever expected Natsu Dragneel, the Fire Dragon Prince of ALL PEOPLE, to ask at a time like his. The only time Gray had shown Natsu any hint of compassion, was when Lisanna was announced dead and he didn't taunt Natsu for a week. Any other interaction between Natsu and Gray, as limited as they were, had negativity so thick Erza could cut it with her sword.

' _He's shaken, but he needs to make this right.'_ Erza said as she and Gray continued to run through the newly made tunnel, quickly approaching the same spot all this trouble started. The same spot Happy and Lucy fell, the same spot Natsu lost control. And the same spot they split up to find they're missing friends.

Gray quickly took notice of the two non-existent puddles of blood on the ground and noticing the patch of carbon on the floor, and the burnt edges around the puddles, he quickly realized just how pissed Natsu was, which only made this whole thing worse because he had all rights to be upset. This was his fault. His friends were hurt, not because of Natsu, but because of him. And yet Gray still felt he had the right to hold himself about Natsu. He took a knee to get a closer look at the mess he made, the pain he caused, and all he could do was sigh in sadness because the only one there is to blame, was himself.

 _'Alright, keep running. Time is of the essence. Should I wait for you two? Or do I continue to ensure nothing unpleasant is happening to them?_ ' Natsu asked her as he summoned a canteen from his storage space, taking a quick drink to stay hydrated while he awaited his fellow S-Class mages advice. Gramps hadn't given either one fo them the lead on this quest, so they have to work together to ensure it's success.

' _About how far are you from the split up point?'_ Erza asked as she walked in front of Natsu's tunnel, taking a look inside, before turning around. Looking at Gray, she realized he was looking a little tired, both mentally and physically. Taking pity on the ice mage, she requipped a canteen full of water, throwing it at him, and due to his reflexes alone, he was able to catch canteen before it hit the ground.

' _Approximately five hundred feet. Why? WAIT! Are you already there?!'_ Natsu asked excitedly, never having expected them to be so close. Erza was slightly amused by his excitement, never expecting him to be so calm after how he acted earlier. She was interrupted by Gray returning her canteen with a "thank you" as he stood up and walked towards the entrance to Natsu's tunnel before looking back at Erza, waiting for the cue.

' _Don't wait up, Gray and I will catch up soon enough. Go!'_ Erza encouraged as she stopped the flow of magic to the lacrima before turning to Gray.

"Let's go," She intoned simply before she began to run into the new tunnel with Gray in tow, feeling a little tired of all this rock, vowing not to take a request like this for at least a few more months.

* * *

Guest number one from Chapter 13- It is a large harem, possibly one of the larger ones ever written. But, I didn't promise that all of the girls would get with him by the ToH or even the GMG. Remember, time is all perspective, and if you haven't noticed I'm taking my time going through all the arcs and such. Thus giving me a better chance of actually writing a successful, legit harem. Although I doubt anyone other than a thirteenth-century dictator ever had that many women.

Guest number two from Chapter 13- Thanks for letting me know about that repeat, I fixed it right after reading your review. Since I am not in school I have the chance to focus more on writing and such, allowing me to write longer chapters more frequently. I'm glad you noticed that Gray and Erza are finally starting to see Natsu as who he actually is because that has been my main goal for every Fairy Tail member since I started writing chapter four.

* * *

Harem List (What did I get myself into xD).

I decided not to do Gemini because I don't know how to make two people who are essentially one person, fall in love with the same man. Kinda weird, and a little too complicated given just how large the harem is. I've decided that I will only take one more suggestion/option for Celestial Spirits. So if there's one you really like send a PM or write a review!

1\. Milliana

2\. Kagura Mikazuchi

3\. Sherry Blendy

4\. Lucy Heartfilia

5\. Ikaruga Ryu

6\. Wendy Marvell

7\. Erza Scarlet

8\. Sayla

9\. Kyoka

10\. Sorano Agria

11\. Yukino Agria

12\. Meredy

13\. Ultear Milkovich

14\. Brandish Myu

15\. Dimaria Yestia

16\. Hisui E Fiore

17\. Irene B

18\. Juvia Loxar

19\. Lisanna Strauss

20\. Minerva O

21\. Jenny Realight

22\. Mirajane Strauss

23\. Cana Alberona

24\. Ur Milkovich

25\. Celestial Spirits

\- Aquarius

-Libra

 _-_ Opichius

* * *

If you haven't noticed, the chapter names are getting pretty boring, so if any of you have a good chapter name idea, let me know and I'll post your name in the end notes for credits.

* * *

As a side note, I've decided that I will write my own version of the Daphne arc because while Gray and Natsu won't be at such ends by that time, it will still be important for character development and other reasons. If there are any other arcs like that please let me know, cuz my memory sucks.

* * *

About Gray looking at Erza. She's a stunning woman, and in the anime, there are parts where Gray can't look away, like Virgo at the wind wall.

* * *

I hope I brought out Natsu's brashness and lack of control. It is more controlled and surpressed, but Natsu is still Natsu.

* * *

Sorry this is late, but, better late than never right?


	15. A Ruse Uncovered

Chapter 15

Natsu PoV

'Honestly, I want to give props to the guys who built this temple. The sheer number of caves and tunnels must have taken a lot of construction work, simply excavating this out must have taken years' Natsu thought as he began to run at a casual pace for a Dragon Slaying S-Class mage, because if they had to fight to retake their friends, he cannot be too tired to do so.

'Now that I think about it, I kinda regret destroying the maze, because this all leads me to wonder, what came first, the spell or the temple...' Natsu pondered as he still tried not to focus too much on what type of pain his friends could be going through, because even though the mages they ran into near Deliora might not have been anywhere near his or Erza's level, they were still able to block his sense of smell, which is completely unprecedented. Igneel never even mentioned the possibility that it could occur.

'If I asked them nicely how they made me lose their scent in a cave, do you think they'd tell me?' Natsu asked himself as he bolted through the small cave, hoping to find his friends at the other end. 'Should I use _Flaming Steps?_ ' Natsu asked himself as he continued to run, not stopping for anyone and not tripping over anything. 'Nah, I need to keep as much magic as possible, because who knows how strong they are, or how many they have. Natsu concluded as he continued to run through the dark musty tunnel, not needing a source of light due to his sense of sight alone.

' _Please refrain from sending a constant stream of magic to the lacrima, I really would rather know what is going through your head all the time. Also, please do try and stay focused, I would hate for our rescue plan to fail.'_ Erza deadpanned causing Natsu to somehow trip over his own two feet and fall flat on his blushing face from pure shock and embarrassment.

"Ow..." Natsu said as he used both his arms to push himself up and off of the ground, pushing himself onto his knees before he stood up on his toes. 'I really need to be more careful because I never even realized it was still on' He thought as he started to run once again, his vanguards having had protected his palms and hands from getting scratched from the fall. And he kept running for about twenty more minutes before Erza turned the lacrima on again.

' _What exactly happened here?!'_ Erza yelled mentally in shock through the lacrima, having had run into the maze that looked like a missile had torn through tens of thick rock walls, only to explode once it reached the end. Natsu cringed, not only due to the sheer decibel the telepathic yell reached but due to the fact he wasn't quite sure how she would react to him destroying an archaeological find. He was also quite shocked that the lacrima allowed them to reach that volume, well, that or Fairy Tail mages even block the laws of magic, as few and far between as they are.

' _I may have possibly skipped the whole maze to the end?'_ Natsu hesitantly replied, uncertain if she would accept him destroying an archaeological archive of information simply to save time. However, he was quite shocked that they had reached the maze in such a short amount of time, but, Erza could have easily gone into her flight armor and carried Gray across.

'... _Usually I would condemn the unnecessary destruction of property, however, since lives are on the line I shall grant you a pardon this once. If this happens again, Wizard Saint or not you Will be punished!'_ Erza responded vehemently, making Natsu cringe since he had seen many of her punishments when he was on the second floor looking down at the guild.

' _Seems fair...'_ Natsu retorted as he continued to run down the tunnel, there was no sight of any light source, but, he could finally smell the rank and disgusting fish scent that always seemed to exist around Happy due to his unreasonable gluttony regarding anything from the sea. ' _I can smell him!'_ Natsu mentally cheered while sending magic to the communication lacrima, letting Erza know that they were getting closer, but how close was the question due to Natsu's dragon like senses.

' _That's splendid, can you smell Lucy as well? Do you know if they are being held in the same area? Or are they being held separately?'_ Erza queried as both she and Gray continued to run as fast as possible down the tunnel, as they had finally passed through the long, dangerous maze.

' _Either is possible, Happy has a very strong distinct smell of fish, and we haven't really known Lucy for that long, it is possible that I just might not recognize her scent yet, or it is simply being overpowered by Happy's stench'_ Natsu answered as he stopped to requip a time lacrima, to see how close it is to night time. Hopefully, they would be able to recover both Lucy and Happy before the moon came out, or else they have to deal with the Moon drip ceremony and their lost friends simultaneously.

' _That is rather troubling... Keep me up to date with how the intensity of Happy's scent grows with distance, and then perhaps we would know just how close, or far we truly are. And Natsu?'_ Erza asked, for some reason not finishing her inquiry.

' _Can do, is something wrong?'_ Natsu asks as he looks at his time lacrima before cursing, as it is now well past noon.

 _'Next time, do warn us if and when we are about to enter a maze full of traps and other deadly surprises'_ She intoned causing Natsu to bite his lip, as he had completely forgotten that he might not have sprung all of the traps during his warpath through the maze.

' _Oh, my bad!'_ Was Natsu's only reply, which only served to antagonize Erza further.

Erza PoV

'This is the worst day ever...' Erza thought despondently as she looked up at Gray hanging from the ceiling of the maze in a metal cage due to stepping on a hidden magic circle. It was almost comedic, if it wasn't for the fact they had an extreme time crunch. However, Gray was too tired to be thrashing and complaining too much, he just looked like a kicked puppy, looking at Erza through the bars of his entrapment.

"Let's just hope Natsu has a reasonable explanation for not warning us about this," Erza said aloud as she requipped into her _Blackwing Armor_ and flew up, cutting the chains to the cage letting it fall to the ground, the rust and deterioration on the bars causing it to break on impact. Gray had used his _Ice Make Magic_ to create a cushion of sorts to absorb the impact of the crash. The mere impact of the cage upon the cavern floor caused a dust cloud to stir up, which hid Gray from view, however one flap of Erza's wings easily dispersed the dust, leaving the broken metal and cracks on the already destroyed ground even more prominent.

Gray was panting heavily with his torso covered in sweat, some pieces of rock and metal had shattered upon impact and had pierced his chest and arms, but was otherwise alright. His legs were spread as his breathing started to even out with his arms hanging by his sides, the exhaustion of the whole day coming together to this stressful, exhausting climax.

"Ya know, I never thought I'd say this, but if all S-Class quests are like this, Makarov was right that I wasn't ready, Hell, I'm still not," Gray said depressingly as he walked off of the metal bottom of the cage, towards Erza who then requipped back into her Heartz Kreuz armor. 'Finally! I'm almost glad she's always wearing armor...' Gray thought as they continued to run through the maze, now being more careful than ever not to waste any more time on stupid mistakes.

It didn't take long for them to reach the end, seeing the torch that Natsu left for them stuck into the ground, confirming that they were heading in the right direction.

"Of all the irresponsible things! He left an unsupervised fire in an underground tunnel who knows how far beneath the surface! We're lucky nothing else got destroyed." Erza complained as she put her hand over the torch, suffocating it into oblivion while Gray looked at her as if she was a fool, for complaining about that of all things.

"Right, let's just find the idiot, and hopefully Lucy and Happy as well," Gray said awkwardly, as he began to pick up the pace, while Erza looked at the torch with disdain for some reason, before requipping it into her pocket space before jogging to catch up to Gray.

 **Natsu PoV**

'These cultists or whatever are seriously crazy' Natsu thought as he continued down the tunnel, Happy's scent kept getting stronger which made Natsu confident that he was going down the right path, but it only made him curious as to how long this tunnel actually was, and then it struck him. _'Hey Erza, just how far is the tunneling down her?'_ Natsu asked, having a weird feeling that something was amiss.

 _'Natsu, What are you getting at?'_ Erza asked as she and Gray continued to run side by side in silence down the tunnel. It seemed that Gray was still irritated with himself, so much so that he didn't feel the right to complain or even ask for a break, because he viewed it as his fault, so he has to fix it.

' _You know exactly what I'm getting at because if all of these caves and tunnels are real, we have to be under water right now. I think, that this is another fail safe? But what are they trying to protect?'_ Natsu asks, completely confused on what is actually going on. 'This was just supposed to be the temple for the moon drip ceremony, so what's with all of these caves and traps' Natsu pondered rhetorically, not expecting to get an answer, but was surprised when he heard Erza agree with him.

"Dammit!" Natsu yelled as he continued stopped to look around, taking note of the cracks in the walls, looking for moss or anything that would identify itself if he were to come back here again, and was annoyed that there was nothing that would have made it identifiable at all.

' _If this is an illusion, is it being powered by the moon? I've never seen something like this in my life. We're going to have to consult Gramps about this when we get back.'_ Natsu said as he begun to concentrate, drawing upon his magic power to dispel the illusion if it is actually existent because otherwise, they will be running forever. _'You might want to have Gray to create a nice thick wall, because if this is an illusion, who knows how far apart we actually are.'_ Natsu said as he continued to build up magic power because there were only two real options here. Either this illusion was made by the same people who made the maze, or this was a trap planned by the people attempting to free Deliora.. 'Either way, this has wasted a lot of time' Natsu thought as he opened his eyes, that were alight with blood red fire.

 _"Hellfire Dragons Burnout"_ Natsu yelled as his whole body was encompassed in blood red fire, which kept growing and expanding. The fire began to fill the entire cavern and started racing down both ends of the tunnel. The air around Natsu began to shimmer and glisten as if it was lit on fire itself, and after about half a minute more of his fire being let loose and free, he cut his magic to the flames off, making the start to die down as they withered out and Natsu walked out.

"This is not what I expected at all..." Natsu said as he looked around, only to see more tunnel surrounding him.

 **Gray's PoV**

"Hey, why'd you stop running, we need to keep going!" Gray said as he stared at Erza, who had stopped running only to stare forward motionless for a second.

"How much magic do you have right now?" She asked. turning towards Gray which caught him completely off guard.

"What do you mean? We're supposed to be saving Lucy and Happy right now!" Gray yelled, too caught up in the moment to realize the improbability of the actual situation they are in.

"Natsu and I both have a feeling that there is a spell at play, and Natsu is attempting to dispel it," Erza explained as she then turned to look down the tunnel, hoping not to see fire rushing towards them.

"What do you need me to make?" Gray asked as he spread his legs out, drawing upon his magic power. 'This is bad, I can only assume that Natsu is going to attempt to burn away the magic?' Gray considered as he held his arms out in front of him, preparing to cast a spell, but not sure which one yet.

"Can you make a wall that will stretch the diameter of this tunnel?" Erza asks as she requipped into her _Adamantine Armor_ , taking any and all precautions, because as easy as it is to forget, Natsu is a wizard saint, even though he rarely acts like it.

"Do you really think that Natsu will be able to reach us from there?" Gray asks skeptically, as he hadn't caught onto the fact that the distance could be part of the illusion.

"Better to be safe than sorry," Erza said while turning her head to look Gray in the eyes, making him wince, because he made a mistake, and he is sorry.

"Touche," Gray said as he gathered his magic into his hands. " _Ice Make: Wall!"_ Gray yelled as his magic took the form of a large, thick magic wall, which Gray kept his hands on, keeping a steady flow of magic into the wall so he could strengthen the wall, and measure its strength in case they did, in fact, need Erza to use her armor.

Erza stared at Gray, waiting for any signal that he was struggling to hold Natsu's spell at bay. And it only took a minute until Gray's eyes snapped open in shock, his body started trembling as the ice started to melt and the temperature rose exponentially, making Erza feel like she was being broiled in her armor.

"Erza! When I say go, Set up the shield, I'm going to jump back because this wall won't hold!" Gray shouts as if he was terrified of what was on the other side of the wall. Erza held her hands in front of her and begun to build up her magic power, and within seconds Gray jumped back screeching "GO!" and Erza slammed her hand together, forming a magic barrier in front of them, and a singular, second later, the ice was shattered causing a wave of blood red flames to slam into Erza's barrier, and the sheer property they held made Erza's eyes snap open in shock. 'I never realized he had flames that could do _this'_ Erza thought as she begun to pour all of her magic into the barrier because the flames were just eating through her magic like Happy through a pile of fish. Erza's face had turned red from exertion and her knuckles turned white from the sheer amount of pressure she was putting on the barrier to resist the force of the flames. Luckily enough for both Erza and Gray, seconds later the flames started to die down and Erza held the barrier up for an extra few second before she dropped the shields from her armor and landed on her knees, exhausted beyond belief.

"What, the Hell, WAS **THAT**!" Gray shouted in fear, never has he ever encountered a flame that could melt his ice before, but to drain his magic like that was completely unheard of, and honestly, impossible.

"I... have no idea... I do believe Natsu has some explaining to do..." Erza panted, still on her knees due to magical exhaustion.

"I never thought I would ever say this, but I understand why Natsu is a Wizard Saint, that was completely terrifying, I haven't been that scared since... Deliora" Gray said aloud, causing Erza to shoot up in disbelief. 'To compare Natsu's strength at that distance to a demon of Zeref...' Erza thought as she stood back up onto her feet. Once she was certain she had enough magic to go back to her Heartz Kreuz armor, she requipped only to feel more tired than she has ever been before.

"Let's not wait any longer, let's see if our hunch was correct," Erza said as she looked towards Gray to see him know in confirmation to her statements. After walking for a few minutes, they found the point of Natsu's impact, which made Erza nod in acknowledgment that there was a distance illusion in play.

"What exactly is going on here?" Gray asks in shock, as Natsu should have been far ahead of them. "Don't tell me..." Gray trailed off, looking to Erza for the answer.

"That is correct. There was an illusion in place which made it seem like the tunnel was longer than it actually was, as you can see." Erza stated as they continued to move forward. Until Gray stopped dead in his tracks with a horrified look on his face.

"Both of us combined were barely enough to hold back the flames on our end, what if Happy and Lucy were on the other?" Gray asked, causing Erza's jaw to drop at the thought of simply being touched by the flames, not to mention being burned by them. 'Those flames ate through my magic like crazy, could they turn a mage into a civilian?' Erza considered in fear, before searching for the benefit of the doubt.

"Let's just hope Natsu took that into consideration..." Erza trailed off, as she and Gray started to run for what seemed hundredth time for the day. And after a few minutes of stress filled silence, they were finally reunited with their pink haired friend who was standing in front of a 7ft tall, thick, iron door. And to his right, there was a long hallway, with more doors of the same size and material that periodically lined the wall. However, all eyes were on Natsu and the door he was standing in front of.

"Took you two long enough," Natsu said as he turned around with a smirk on his face, which quickly disappeared when he saw just how tired and worn out they truly were.

"Hey, what happened to you too?" Natsu asked innocently as if he wasn't aware he was responsible for their exhaustion. His "innocent" question caused a tick mark to form on Gray's head while Erza rolled her eyes, before they let it go and got back to the topic at hand.

"Are they behind that door?" Gray asked, completely ignoring Natsu's poke of fun which made Natsu realize just how hard Gray took the situation to heart..

 **Narrator PoV (no pov).**

"Yep, I figured I would wait for you two to get here before I opened the door," Natsu said as he walked forward lighting his hand ablaze with a pure white fire, before putting it on the door, before it begun to melt through, causing the metal to glow yellow and begin to flow down.

"By the way, you're going to be explaining what those flames were after this is all said and done..." Erza trailed off, giving Natsu a gentle hint while still allowing them to focus on the task at hand. Natsu simply sent a smirk their way before turning back to focus on melting the door before he turned the room into a sauna.

Once Natsu lit his whole arm on fire, it only increased the pace at which the door began to melt, and in seconds a hole large enough to step through was left, with a pile of molten slag on the ground. And just as Natsu said, chained to the wall with iron shackles was Lucy, who somehow hadn't even woke up yet. And Happy was set on a pillow beside her, surprising everyone present as they never expected people willing to kill, to be so hospitable to their prisoners. Seeing that his friends were safe, Natsu took a step back, gesturing Erza to go first, which made her quirk her eyebrow a bit before she stepped into the room, and she was surprised to see white bandages wrapped around Lucy's head, with a small blood stain on the front. Gray was quick to enter after Erza with Natsu bring up the rear.

Erza was quick to draw her sword, as she cut the shackles from the walls, before Gray stepped forward, kneeling down to hold her hand, finally allowing himself to release all the stress and guilt, as he was worried she had been tortured, or worse. She began to stir as Erza gently shook her shoulders, and after a few minutes she finally woke up. Natsu, knowing that Gray and Erza were looking after Lucy, walked towards Happy, and was amused to hear him muttering about fish before he took Happy's bag out of his pocket, before tying it around his back. Natsu then picked Happy up and turned around, to see Lucy begin to wake up, muttering about how her head hurt. When she finally opened her her eyes, she squealed in shock at seeing all of her friends crowded around her.

"Ugh... Why does my head hurt?" Lucy asked as she tried to rub her head, and was surprised that her hand felt heavy. When she looked down, she was even more surprised to see a shackle resting upon both her wrists.

"Okay... Never mind why does my head hurt. Why are there shackles on my wrists? And WHY ARE WE IN A CELL?!" Lucy yelled in fear, not understanding what was going on at all.

"Just to be clear, this might not actually be a cell," Natsu said as he looked around. "This could have simply been a storage room, we don't know what these kids have done with the place." He concluded as he looked down at the small cat in his arms who had begun to stir. Unfortunately, all of Lucy's fussing had begun to wake Happy, who was annoyed that his dream about fish had been interrupted.

"Natsuuu~" Happy moaned, "Please make Lucy be quiet" He mewled as he curled up in Natsu's arms to take a nap.

"Yep, Happy seems fine" Natsu said with a chuckle, which caused everyone else to let out a laugh, all of the stress and panic for nothing, and the fact that both their friends were mostly okay just made everything better.

* * *

is everyone that is in the harem. As of right now, it is unchangeable, as I refuse to remove a girl that all of you voted in without at least trying. Yes, a list of 27 girls are planned to fall for Natsu. I'm Screwed.

1\. Milliana

2\. Kagura Mikazuchi

3\. Sherry Blendy

4\. Lucy Heartfilia

5\. Ikaruga Ryu

6\. Wendy Marvell

7\. Erza Scarlet

8\. Sayla

9\. Kyoka

10\. Sorano Agria

11\. Yukino Agria

12\. Meredy

13\. Ultear Milkovich

14\. Brandish Myu

15\. Dimaria Yestia

16\. Hisui E Fiore

17\. Irene B

18\. Juvia Loxar

19\. Lisanna Strauss

20\. Minerva O

21\. Jenny Realight

22\. Mirajane Strauss

23\. Cana Alberona

24\. Ur Milkovich

25\. Celestial Spirits

\- Aquarius

-Libra

 _-_ Opichius

With the harem, I might do something like what Plasnix112 did in " _The Dragon and the Mermaids."_ All of the girls liked Natsu and were competitive about it. But, they don't necessarily get with him while he is struggling to deal with his future. And if you don't know what I mean, just go read the story.

By the way, unless I find a chance to, I will not be adding any more Celestial Spirits to the harem, as it is already quite excessive and daunting. I'm sorry to the people who suggested Gemini, or Ares, or Virgo, but having a harem this large is just making this whole writing process harder.

* * *

If you haven't noticed, the chapter names are getting pretty boring, so if any of you have a good chapter name idea, let me know and I'll post your name in the end notes for credits.

* * *

Reviews are important to all writers. It takes hours of time to put out a chapter, and even more to edit it when we don't have a beta. I do understand that not everyone has the time to review, or might forget, but. As sad as it is for me to say, only having 2 reviews over one week, I'm not used to that. And I'm not trying to get more reviews or anything, but I appreciate everyone's input, or even a simple "nice chapter" really lights up my day.

If you have any questions please write a review or send a PM and all questions will be answered.


	16. The Truth Comes Out

How do you like this new format? Comment if you preferred the old one :P

Gray's PoV

'I'm so glad they're okay...' Gray thought as he watched Erza and Natsu check over both Lucy and Happy respectively. Erza in all her paranoid weirdness, removed Lucy's bandages, curious to see if their enemies had treated the wound properly. After she finished unwrapping the bandages and removing the gauze pad, Gray winced at the sight of the bloody, puffy skin surrounding some green paste.

"Who would have thought..." Erza muttered, surprised to see the wound properly treated by people who were talking about killing them. Erza then handed the old bandages to Natsu who looked at her curiously, before catching on to what she wanted as he lit his hand on fire, quickly burning the bandages to ash while she requipped a new role of gauze and a fresh pad.

" _Requip, Nurse Armor"_ Erza muttered as she requipped into possibly one of the sexiest costume's any of them have ever seen, which is quite an accomplishment given Fairy Tail's natural beauty level regarding women. She wore a short restricting lab coat, that showed her luscious bust and long legs. She wore a nurses hat upon her scarlet hair that was done up in a pony tail with bang framing her face.

'Oh, My, Mavis...' Gray thought as he caught himself staring at her for the second time within a few hours. 'Is she always like this on missions?' Gray pondered, trying to distract himself from the very, very impressive cleavage her interesting lab coat presented. It only got worse for him when Erza bent over to place the pad over Lucy's wound before wrapping the gauze firmly, but not too tight around Lucy's head, securing the bandage and ensuring good health. Gray, the ice mage, was left blushing a storm as red as Erza's hair as she continued to wrap Lucy's head while bent over, leaving her white plain thong in full view, which was part of the nurse outfit of course. Never let it be said the Erza never goes all out.

Natsu was not so inhibited as Gray was, seeing that he is more "active" than Gray is, but it doesn't mean he didn't notice her feminine attributes. 'I never thought I'd see so many women as curvy as Mira. First Cana, and now Erza? I think, I should be open about this with Mira, especially since... Right, Moon Drip.' Natsu thought, jumping back on track to the plight at hand, but decided to give his friends some time of respite, and for Gray to clear his head before they went into battle.

Erza had finally finished wrapping Lucy's head, and it almost looked painful, however, it won't fall off at all, which was probably the whole idea. After ensuring that everything was in working order, Erza stood straight and quickly requipped back into her _Heartz Kreuz_ armor and when she turned around and saw Gray's gobsmacked face, she quickly blushed and flung him into a wall with her face pointed downwards as her scarlet locks completely covered her whole face, but you could see her blush travel down her neck as Gray scrambled back to his feet.

"I'm so sorry..." Gray said as he looked at the burnt pile of ashes on the ground, and then at the freshly wrapped bandage around Lucy's head. He was surprised when Lucy's head shot up confused, not understanding what he was sorry for.

"What do you mean?" Lucy asks, too curious about what Gray was asking about. "It's not your fault me and Happy got..." She started off only to be interrupted by Gray.

"Yes it is! If I was with you, then I could have helped fight them off!" Gray rants while Erza watches on with wide eyes while Natsu only smirks in amusement. Happy, had finally woken up and had asked for fish, only to gape when Natsu requipped a package of dried fish. He was now currently gorging himself on the dry substance.

"Er... Yeah, about that..." Lucy trails off, too embarrassed to tell them the truth. Erza notices Lucy's hesitance and glares at her.

"Lucy, it is better, to be honest than make a friend feel guilt," Erza states while looking her in the eye, causing Lucy's face to pale and her hands to shake.

"What do you mean, did you get attacked or not?" Gray asks as he rests his back against the wall and slides his back down to sit as he wraps his arms around his legs.

"Me and Happy may have possibly... injured ourselves by accident." Lucy barely gets out, with her voice getting progressively softer as she looks at the ground with her arms wrapped around her midsection causing both Erza and Gray to stare in shock, while Natsu laughs in amusement.

"What?!" Both Gray and Erza shout in shock. 'I thought she accidentally set off a trap or something...' Erza thought as she stared at the bodacious blonde in amusement, before turning to glare at Natsu who was still laughing, with Happy joining in after he finally finished all of the fish.

"I was worried that you were hurt, or even being tortured! What the hell happened?" Gray asks causing Lucy's jaw to drop in shock. Erza, on the other hand just stared at Lucy in disappointment.

"So Happy is completely and fully responsible for not just injuring you, but himself as well?" Erza questions skeptically causing Lucy to bite her lip in nervousness, torn between lying or getting embarrassed. Luckily, her mother's influence has made Lucy into a kind, honest woman.

"I may have possibly yelled for Gray too loudly and hurt Happy's ears. Long story short it made Happy drop me and we both hit the rock hard." Lucy mumbled, ashamed of her blunder on such a difficult quest. Happy just laughed even louder while Natsu shook his head at his "surrogate son's' immaturity

"Hey!" Lucy complained indignantly, annoyed that Happy was laughing at her misfortune, which he was partially responsible for. "You're the one that dropped me!" Lucy said as she pointed her right index finger at the mischevious blue cat who quickly jumped up and hid behind Natsu's left shoulder, poking his head up once every couple seconds to make sure nobody was coming for him.

"Let's get back to the mission," Natsu said emphasizing the word mission, happy that his friends were okay, but the impending release of Deliora greatly surpassed the need for comradeship.

"Correct! Lucy, while you were captured did gain any knowledge?" Erza asks as she turned to the bodacious blonde, curious to see if they had any more information to work with.

"I was unconscious for a lot of it, but, I do remember a girl with dark hair making a solve at a table before wrapping my head?" Lucy said uncertainly, unsure if she had hallucinated or if in her injured state she completely missed something. Hell, it could have been transformation magic or another illusion for all they knew. Their adversaries were certainly capable of such.

At the mention of a dark haired woman, both Erza's and Gray's heads shot up in shock. 'Are there two dark haired women? or did she not attack me since she was a simple thought projection...' Gray thought curiously, before focusing back on his friends, curious for their next course of action.

'That doesn't make sense, there must be two girls? or when did this happen at all? Why all of this cloak and dagger nonsense. The girl at the necropolis was clearly using both transformation magic and a form of tunneling magic while she followed Gray... Perhaps running into the necropolis was a mistake? Why is so much about this temple not documented, we're practically flying blind!" Erza considered as all they learned was that there are more enemies to fight than they thought.

"Lucy, do you have a spirit that can tell us what time the sun will go down?" Natsu asked as he looked to Happy who was sitting on his shoulder, before rubbing his head. Lucy was a little confused as to why Natsu was worried about time until she remembered that _Moon Drip_ occurs when the moon is out, ergo the sun isn't.

"Er... Yeah, ol' hologrium should know when the sun goes down, but we need more space..." Lucy said as she looked around, trying to see if they would have to leave the room, or just move around.

"Very well then," Erza said as she walked towards the corner of the room "Natsu, Gray, come here," She said aloud as she reached the corner, her plan to create space required close contact. 'Oh boy...' Gray thought as he carefully stood up because unfortunately even being punched couldn't remove his "problem".

Happy outright laughed at Gray's inability to move well, which caused Erza to yell at him to speed up while Gray tried to speed waddle his way over. Natsu, luckily had more control, and wasn't as affected by Erza's blatant sexuality, and was easily able to walk towards Erza with happy laughing merrily the whole way.

Lucy stood up on wobbly legs, holding the wall for support, her head rushing due to blood loss. Once she was finally able to stand straight without seeing stars, she grabbed for her key pouch and panicked when it wasn't there.

"Where are my keys! Lucy screeched as her head snapped up to look at her friends, her eyes wide with terror. When none of her friends had any answers, her arms scrambled around her waist, checking every possibly Nick and cranny for her keys, her friends, her backup. And sadly, they couldn't be found gray started to run around the room, searching for them, Happy jumped off of Natsu shoulder, and flew around the room, before checking the hallway and surrounding area. Natsu and Erza, just stood there watching as terror consumed their friend.

"Lucy, calm down," Natsu said as he walked towards the blonde literally shaking in grief. No longer did she feel the fear of retribution from the ever feisty Aquarius, but the sheer loneliness and sadness that comes from meeting friends that took literally a decade to acquire through hard work and crafty maneuvers. She was lost from the world of the living, even the Celestial spirit world, as she was lost in her imagination, controlled by her fears of being alone. 'I can't even help during the quest anymore! I have no magic, not even my whip...' She thought despondently... until a realization hit harder than anything else. 'If I don't get my keys back, I'll have to leave Fairy Tail, maybe Mira will let me help her out at the bar. But I'll never be able to go on an adventure again, I'm a writer full time from here on out.' Lucy concluded in total despair with tears running down her face while sobs shook her whole body.

Realizing that words could not break Lucy out of her sorrow, Natsu wrapped her in a hug, increasing his body temperature slightly for maximum comfort. Erza had left the two alone since Natsu knew Lucy better, plus, Erza could be better used in her _Flight Armor_ searching for the keys, that could have fallen off while she was being moved. Gray, was looking for the dark haired woman since he figured since she treated Lucy, she would have her keys.

Gray, seeing just how torn up Lucy was, left the room to search elsewhere, and somehow, everyone missed the corridor that leads to more doors just like the one Natsu melted.

 _'Erza, get Gray and come back, searching is useless.'_ Natsu said using the lacrima Erza had completely forgotten about. Erza was slightly surprised that Natsu would suggest they essentially leave their friend defenseless to complete the quest. ' _What are you thinking'_ She asks as she turns to go and find Gray, as she had a really good idea exactly where he was going, and with her in her _Flight Armor_ , there is no way he could get too far without her being able to catch him, especially with how tired he is due to all the running and stress. It only took a few minutes of running at top speed to catch up to Gray, who was close to the maze due to the illusion being dispelled. She grabbed Gray with her right hand on his left shoulder, stopping him from moving through the entrance of the maze.

"Unfortunately, the impending release of Deliora is more important than Lucy's missing keys. However, the chance we will run into the "dark haired woman" is quite high." Erza said in a low tone because even though Lucy is her friend, she does realize how defenseless she is without her keys.

"But... what if she gets hurt again..." Gray asks hesitantly, realizing the safety of many outweighs the safety of the few. But she is their friend, and he feels responsible for the fact that she may never get her keys back.

It only took Gray and Erza about ten minutes of moderately paced jogging to get back to Natsu and Lucy, and when Gray stepped in the door, he was shocked to see Lucy outfitted with a black rune etched leather armor emphasizing her thin waist and large bosom. On her legs, she had a dark brown leather armored skirt that went down to her knees, and on her arms, she had leather wrist braces that went to her elbows, with wide metal bracelets on her biceps. She had Leather knee high armored boots, that had metal rings equally spaced along her shin, for extra protection. She honestly looked like an Amazonian princess, without the Grecian helmet or sword, but she did have a black leather Cat of Nine Tails in her hands with metal tips and her hair was in an up tail.

"Do I even want to know why you have female armor?" Erza asked as she stepped into the room, pushing the gawking Gray aside. Natsu just looked up with a smirk, before he threw a small harmless fireball into Gray's face, successfully knocking him out of his stupor.

"Scratch that! Why does it look like there are blood stains on that whip!" Gray yelled in a mixture of anger and shock, causing Lucy to drop it in surprise while Erza disappeared, only to reappear a foot away from Lucy inspecting the whip in her hand. She stared in a mixture of terror and anger at the whip, understanding first hand how helpless and afraid you feel simply being torn away from your home, but to be injured and mutilated for any reason at all is completely infuriating.

"Calm down, Natsu said with a chuckle as he turned to look at the pillow that Happy was resting on, having had set him up with a canteen before putting him to sleep, knowing that the best way for Happy to heal was to sleep it off. Reassured that Happy was asleep, he turned back towards the other Fairy Tail Mages.

"Long story short, the armor is Evergreens. Me, Laxus and the Thunder Tribe went on a mission a few months ago and I forgot to give it back to her. Secondly, the whip was confiscated from an illegal smuggling ring me and Happy shutdown. I honestly kept it because I thought it was cool." Natsu finished as he rubbed the back of his neck before turning to Lucy. He noticed her skeptical look as she stared at the whip on the ground, still unsure if she wanted to pick it up again.

"If it makes you feel any better... the whip was never used to kill anyone?" Natsu said surprisingly unreassuring as she just cocked her hip and put her hand on it.

"Gee, thanks..." Lucy replied as she rolled her eyes while Gray just scoffed and Erza just stared in indifference.

"You called us to come back?" Erza interrupted their pointless banter getting them back on track.

"Right, I think we shouldn't split up unless we desperately need to," Natsu said as he walked towards Happy and picking him up in his arms, before requipping his vambraces away. he turned back to his friends and wasn't surprised to see most of them standing stock still, except Lucy who was trying to pull on her chest guard, apparently, she was unused to wearing something so stiff. "Our first priority is to stop them from releasing Deliora, and at the last case scenario, escort everyone to the other side of the island so I can truly let loose," Natsu said as he looked Erza in the eyes, trusting that if anyone could force people to do something, friend or foe, it would be her. After receiving a nod of approval he continued on. 'I'm honestly a little surprised he thought all of this through...' Erza noted as she stood with her arms crossed under her bust while she listened to the wizard saint.

"The only things I don't know are how many people are required to cast Moon drip, and where they need to recite the spell from," Natsu said as he looked at the stirring Happy in his arms, who was apparently already back to perfect health.

"Wait, I never thought it was important at the time... but, remember when we were sailing in there was that purple beam from the sky?" Gray brought up because even if Natsu could somehow defeat Deliora, the sheer amount of damage it could be wrought in that short amount of time is more than enough to keep its title as the demon of destruction.

"Hey, that's right!" Lucy agreed, " I believe that the spell would need to be cast near the top, or on the exact top of the temple, its to ensure that the most moonlight is absorbed as possible! Lucy agreed as she looked at Natsu, hoping that her knowledge would more than make up for her increasing lack of combat ability, no matter how many weapons he gave her. She did feel emptier than she ever had before, feeling lost without the comfortable jingle of her key ring on her waist. 'I'm so sorry...' she thought, pleading that her friends would wait for however long it takes because she will be looking for just as long.

"That is sound logic." Erza concurred as she looked to Natsu, curious as to what his opinion is. 'I've ignored him for so long based due to dumb, childish reasons. Turns out, he's not as bad as I thought. Perhaps a little childish at times, however, it is reassuring that he can focus on the task at hand... within reason of course,' Erza thought as she waited for his response.

"Well then, does anyone remember how to get back out of here?" Natsu asks jokingly as Happy finally woke up, surprised to see Natsu holding him like he had so long ago, and once he saw his "fathers" smile, Happy's face bloomed with a loving smile before hugging Natsu as best as he could with his tiny arms. So very grateful that Natsu has always been there to help him. After releasing his "father" from his hug, he quickly flew on top of Natsu's head, resting on the pinkish black perch before taking one of his famous cat naps.

"I do," Erza said as she turned towards the exit with Gray, Lucy, and Natsu in tow. It seemed that she completely missed the joke that Natsu had intended, and perhaps thought he was serious, causing Lucy to sigh in exasperation while Gray just rolled his eyes. But, everyone followed her anyway, only to hear Lucy gasp in shock at the burn marks covering the walls, ceiling, and floor of the adjoining tunnel.

"What the hell happened in here!" Lucy asked in shock as she stopped walking forward. She was honestly afraid that Deliora had somehow been set free already. She was in for a shock when she began to hear the irritating high pitch cat laugh emanating from the blue furball on Natsu's head, which made Gray smirk in amusement, even though the flames scared the living shit out of him, Lucy's reaction was pure comedic gold.

"No, Deliora was not set loose," Natsu said aloud making Gray look at him in confusion, only to hear Lucy let out a sigh of relief, making his confusing grow tenfold. "There was an illusion in place preventing us from recovering both you and Happy." Erza interrupted as she continued forward, only to be followed by Gray who shrugged, while Natsu stayed back with Lucy, refusing to leave her alone again, especially since she doesn't have her keys.

"Wait up!" Lucy shouted as she ran after Erza seeking more answers, and she was slightly surprised to feel that her bust wasn't as out of control and as uncomfortable as it usually was when she ran. She was unable to hear Natsu silently jogging behind her while Happy held onto his "father's" hair as if they were handles on a dual magic mobile.

"How did you remove the illusion!" Lucy shouted as she had caught up to both Gray and Erza with Natsu bringing up the caboose. She was standing side by side with the two more experienced mages as she awaited her answer.

"I didn't," Erza stated as she continued to move forward, completely uncaring about Lucy's reactions to the information whatsoever.

"Then who did?" Lucy asked in confusion as she continued to walk with Erza and Gray, who had decided to let Erza answer all the questions so that he could experience her reactions more authentically.

"Natsu." Erza said pointedly as she still walked forward. It was quite evident that Erza was annoyed due to the fact she would not have been able to remove the illusion, while Lucy just soaked in the information, and due to the burn marks, it did make sense.

"Well then..." Natsu said right behind his guildmates, shocking two of them while the other just smirked. "Let's hurry on before the big bad wolf blows this house down." He said while Happy laughed at Gray and Lucy's shock.

* * *

Guest from Chapter 14- I'll see if I can add Aries to the Harem, but I'm stuck not even sure if I can get in Libra or Opichius. I have a few ideas on how to do Sorano right now, but Aries is a completely different story because it means Sorano and Natsu spend a prolonged amount of time with each other, so much so that Aries is used enough to get a lasting impression of Natsu. My problem is I try to make each and every harem member legit, in the sense that they actually fall for who Natsu is, instead of just seeing a hot dude, or a big dick and wanting sex, if you know what I mean. I'll do my best, but I think 28 girls might be pushing my limits a bit too far. We'll see in the long run, won't we? You aren't the first person to ask about Aries, so, I'll do my best, she is now added on as a maybe.

* * *

This is everyone that is in the harem. As of right now, it is unchangeable, as I refuse to remove a girl that all of you voted in without at least trying. Yes, a list of 27 girls are planned to fall for Natsu. I'm Screwed.

1\. Milliana

2\. Kagura Mikazuchi

3\. Sherry Blendy

4\. Lucy Heartfilia

5\. Ikaruga Ryu

6\. Wendy Marvell

7\. Erza Scarlet

8\. Sayla

9\. Kyoka

10\. Sorano Agria

11\. Yukino Agria

12\. Meredy

13\. Ultear Milkovich

14\. Brandish Myu

15\. Dimaria Yestia

16\. Hisui E Fiore

17\. Irene B

18\. Juvia Loxar

19\. Lisanna Strauss

20\. Minerva O

21\. Jenny Realight

22\. Mirajane Strauss

23\. Cana Alberona

24\. Ur Milkovich

25\. Celestial Spirits

\- Aquarius

-Libra

 _-_ Opichius

-Aries (MAYBE)

* * *

For all you grammar OCD critics, I am aware that I use improper grammar sometimes in dialogue, but that's on purpose.

* * *

Is it sad that my memory is so bad that I have to re read some chapters to continue to write the story referencing previous chapters?

* * *

I really hinted at something here. And if you can pick up on it, don't even ask in a review, send a PM if you want. But this is a very dark path I could run down... So dark I might need to open another poll :D

I was honestly considering the effects of this decision could have on the rest of the story, and I quickly realize that it would displace arcs like the Phantom lord arc and the battle for Fairy Tail arc. This would be the most efficient way to completely change the manga while continuing to write about my own, new OOC versions of the characters. Again, I'm going to leave this decision to you guys, I just won't tell you exactly what I;m hinting at. If you can't pick it up, you're gonna be shocked when I put the poll up on Tuesday that will be open until Friday.

* * *

I feel really bad about posting un endited chapters, but I want to make it a point that I finished this at 1:09 in the morning. Does that count as on time?


	17. A Lesson in Magic

Review Replies at the bottom!

Usually, this would be in endnotes, but **If you want Lucy to keep her keys, vote through the poll on my profile, that will be open until August 5th at Midnight, EST. But, if you want to see something different, then vote YES.**

 **And onto the story!**

The four fairy Tail wizards were quietly walking down the blackened and burnt tunnel, in a truly companionable silence, not uncomfortable whatsoever. Lucy was rightfully sulking, worried about her keys, her friends. Gray was trying to escape the scary truth that failure can lead to the extinction of this village of already tormented people! And, he was quickly losing his pants...

Erza, however, was calmer, more comfortable with this level of stress. She was more curious about when, and why Evergreen of all people, would wear leather armor? But, those are stories for another day, because today will be a memory none of them will forget. Natsu was walking silently with Happy contently resting on his shoulder and was surprisingly quiet.

 _Flashback_

 _"_ So Natsu... Are you going alone this time?" Happy asked as he watched Natsu pack various books and other items he might need for the mission, organized into different bags so it would be easier to summon them from his magic space, except for obvious items like a canteen or a book.

"Nope! And you can come with me this time!" Natsu said with a smile as he looked up to one of his oldest friends, seeing the smile blossom on his face as he zoomed towards him in a flying, tackling hug.

"Yay! Thank you, Yay! This is going to be so fun!" Happy cheered as he hugged the closest thing he had to a father figure. Natsu just laughed and hugged his blue furred son back, enjoying the happy times that he gets to spend with his friends and loved ones.

"No rules?" Happy asked curiously, wondering if they had to be discreet or if they could have fun.

"Discreet," Natsu said, causing Happy to droop momentarily before realizing that he is going on an S-Class Quest!

"Yes! I get to go on an S-Class quest while Lucy is going to be stuck in the guild!" Happy cheered causing Natsu to look at him weirdly, before sighing.

"Yeah, about that..." Natsu trailed off, causing Happy's eyes to widen and his cute little mouth to drop open.

"Noooo!" Happy cried in horror, torn between going on an S-Class quest with his dad, but also going with his new nemesis?Natsu just rolled his eyes at his son's immaturity while he continued gathering materials.

Natsu just rolled his eyes at his son's immaturity while he continued gathering materials for the mission.

 _Flashback End_

"Was this tunnel always this... black?" Lucy asked almost in shock, never truly believing Natsu was truly that strong, to completely scorch and burn meters of the cave without a sweat is quite a feat, one Lucy has never seen before. 'Man, this leather is really chafing me all around.' Lucy thought as she tried to separate her overflowing bosom from the hard leather.

"Nope! But at one point, this tunnel was at least a mile long" Natsu replied cheerily, amused at Lucy's reaction to a mere fraction of his power. Gray, on the other hand, was looking at the walls in something akin to fear, never having seen flames of that caliber, ones he honestly believed could melt the ice around Deliora. It was astonishing to him, to see the impossibly played out in reality. And if Natsu was this overwhelmingly powerful, how strong is Makarov? Or the First Wizard Saint? Gray usually wasn't the one to think about these things, but to see a small display of what power truly was, it completely put even his Master Ur to shame!

"How does fire magic dispel illusions?" Lucy asked curiously, trying to keep her mind focused on anything other than what will happen if she never finds her keys again. How upset her mother would be that she essentially disgraced her memory, losing the keys she gave to Lucy.

"It's not the fire magic, but the type of fire," Natsu replies cryptically as he realized they were close to the Maze but was surprised to see a lot of melted ice and water on the ground with a burn line on the ground, only to see another burn line on the ground about a foot behind it.

"Wait..." Natsu said as he stopped to inspect the burn lines, making Gray blush and Erza to grasp her sword to cover her nerves. Lucy watched curiously, not knowing why there are burn lines instead of just a patch of burnt ground.

"Gray, why did your wall break?" Natsu says suddenly after a few seconds of silence, touching and feeling the difference of the burns. To most people, the burns marks would seem insignificant and unimportant, but to a fire mage who has burnt pretty much every substance known to man, the difference was telling.

"Dude! Your freakish flames sapped my magic!" Gray yelled, 'I was going to ask later, but since he brought it up...' Gray thought as he walked towards Natsu, forcing Natsu's head to tilt upwards in compensation to keep eye contact.

"Wait... What?! How?! Wait a friggin minute, did you stay in constant contact with the wall?" Natsu asked causing Erza's right brow to quirk while Gray made a "duh!" face.

"Well... Yeah! How else would I strengthen the wall after contact?" Gray asked curiously, wondering if the flames had any sort of side effect. Erza was also curious because the more she thought of it, the flames sapper her magic more than they destroyed the barrier.

"Oh dear... The more magic the flames have contact to the stronger they are. The flames absorb the magic around them, to power the flames. Like how a regular fire increases size and heat due to the amount of oxygen in the air and such." Natsu explained as Erza nodded her head in understanding while Gray's jaw dropped at the applications of that because as a maker mage, he is constantly thinking of new ways to use magic. Lucy was partially confused since she wasn't there earlier but she was waiting until they were done they're small Q and A before asking about it.

"So it can practically disable any spell?" Gray asks curiously, making Lucy's jaw drop while Erza's eyes widened.

"Well, I haven't fought Gildarts with them in a while... so I can't answer that," Natsu replies with a chuckle as he straightens and stands back up making sure not to throw Happy off, before walking forward, towards the maze before turning his head around for a second.

"Wait! Why would Gildarts' magic be the deciding factor on whether or not the flames could disable any magic? What flames are you talking about? And how is that possible!" Lucy yells really fast on the same breath, meaning that it was intelligible and quite high pitched by the end of it, making Happy giggle as he was surprisingly quiet for once in his life, just observing the action.

"To answer your first question, Gildarts specializes in a type of disassembly magic called Crash magic. It is very hard to control, but the sheer capabilities of it alone are one of the reasons why Gildarts is seen as the strongest or one of the strongest members of Fairy Tail." Erza explained with her left hip cocked and her right hand on it.

"I never would have thought..." Lucy said, not believing the drunken fool could be so strong, but when she considered Makarovs perverseness and Natsu's silliness, it seemed that strong mages don't have to be serious or smart.

"Yeah... He does play the role of a drunken fool very well." Natsu confirmed with a nod, having first-hand experience of just how weird and goofy Gildarts could be when he doesn't need to be serious.

"I'm not too sure he plays a role..." Gray mumbled as he looked at the ground, causing Happy to outright laugh while Erza smirked, causing Natsu to look indignant, feeling outraged that his second father figure was being insulted. Before admitting that Gray might be right.

"What type of flames could do that? DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE IT!" Lucy asked, knowing that she would never be able to fight that, even if she had Aquarius with her, and then causing her to sigh and look at her leather covered skirt, upset that she gave up years of friendship to a small fit of rage.

"No... It's a special flame not many can boast to control. It's a Dragon Slaying flame." Natsu said with a sigh as he summoned the dark flames in his left hand causing Lucy to gasp while Gray nodded his head in agreement, understanding how the flames could slay a dragon. Erza reacted along the same lines as Gray but was slightly curious as to where he learned them, but then she realized she pretty much knew nothing about him other than he was adopted by the Flame Dragon King, and that he was close to Makarov, Laxus, and his Thunder Legion.

"Forgive me for interrupting you, however, we have much ground to cover since we can only assume that it is a few hours after noon," Erza said as she begun to walk forward with Gray following in step closely behind her while Lucy continued to stare at the flames in Natsu's hands, lost in the regret of just throwing Aquarius away as if she was an object, and not a person. 'Why did I do that... And I doubt even if Happy still had her key, that she would even talk to me...' she lamented as she stared into the hypnotic way the flames danced in Natsu's hand.

Natsu extinguished the flame in his hand, before walking towards Lucy and putting his arm around her shoulder before leading her towards the maze, a few feet behind both Erza and Gray.

"Natsu, please do be more specific if you are to use flames like that, I am honestly afraid of what was to happen if my Adamantine Barrier fell." Erza intoned in a casual voice, for her at least, knowing that even though she is a few feet ahead and facing another direction, his dragon slaying senses are truly something to be feared.

"I assume the same thing happened with your Adamantine armor?" Natsu asked Erza who confirmed his question with a simple "correct".

"Well, if I have the time, I will, but." Natsu ended his statement there as they reached the maze, making Happy gasp in amazement, breaking Lucy out of her grief induced stupor. When she looked up, she was amazed to see the maze, that was actually almost a kilometer long, with many different paths going to different directions on the side. However, she was not too impressed and instantly looked at Natsu, putter her hands on her hips as she glared at him.

"Why do you look at me like that! it could have been either of them!" Natsu shouts in annoyance with a tick mark on his forehead, pointing to both Erza and Gray.

"Right... So you're going to tell me Erza hacked her way through here? And is Gray even that strong?" Lucy asked skeptically, making Gray gain a tick mark on his head as well as he glared at the sassy blonde while Erza simply nodded in approval, which only increased how furious he was.

"What do you mean am I- Just cuz I'm not S-class doesn't mean I'm not as strong as them!" Gray shouted in indignance, only for Erza to silently snicker into her gauntleted fist, covering it with a cough, while Lucy outright laughed! Happy was enjoying the comedic gold that was being created right in front of him, he even laughed so hard that he fell off of Natsu's head! He was just lucky that Natsu saved him from crashing into the rock face for a second time that day.

"See Gray, at least someone's honest to you!" Happy chortled which only made Erza snicker harder, which made Natsu look in slight shock, never had he ever seen Erza as anything other than her usual strict self. 'Is there actually some personality under that armor?' Natsu rhetorically asked inside his head, slightly happy that they were opening up around him, and not shunning him so blatantly.

"So you're saying, you can beat Erza in a fight? Or even Natsu, or Gildarts?" Lucy inquired, listing all the S-Class mages she was familiar with in the guild. Gray was about to contest her statement, even opening his mouth to retort, before he looked at both Erza, who crossed her arms under her breastplate while she glared at him, while Natsu just held a laughing Happy in his arms as he looked Gray.

"Ha!" Happy taunted, feeling safe in Natsu's arms, "Gray's just a weak little A-Class, With NO PANTS!" Happy said as he continued to laugh at the clothless mage, who didn't even realize he was essentially nude. Thus causing both Erza and Lucy to look down, causing Lucy to blush while Erza literally facepalmed.

"Hey, wait, WHAT!" Gray yelled in shock, looking down to see he was only in his boxers, before looking around, hoping to find his pants somewhere around him, only to sigh in sadness. 'Looks like I'm going to have to complete another mission nude' Gray sighed as he blushes in shame, not being able to look Lucy in the eyes, 'how can I argue my strength when I can't even keep my clothes on!' Gray complained internally as he closed his eyes, trying not to see his laughing guildmates.

'I learned not to look down when around Gray, but now I don't know when he's naked' Erza thought as she sighed in disappointment, having had hoped that he would be too focused on the mission to fall back into his bad habit, before realizing that he possibly stripped the more he was nervous.

"Here," Natsu said making Gray's eyes flash open in shock, only to see a set of clothes set out in Natsu's arms in front of him with Happy on Natsu's shoulder, resting weirdly like a parrot or bird would.

'Thank God, it was that or a dress." Erza thought as she watched Gray get dressed in silence, while Lucy's eyes were darting everywhere but Gray, apparently she was uncomfortable being around practically naked men. It only took a few minutes for Gray to get completely dressed, but once he was, he was surprised at how good he looked. 'I thought Natsu would have given me old, bad clothes, but these are actually really nice.' Gray thought as he looked at himself, dressed in a pair of light gray skinny jeans, black combat boots, and a tight black t-shirt with a white overcoat on top.

"Thanks" Gray muttered to Natsu as he walked into the maze, hoping to prompt everyone to stop making fun of him and to focus back on the life or death situation they had on their hands, causing Happy to giggle while Lucy just cocked her hip. The others soon followed Gray into the maze, with Natsu in the middle with Erza on his left and Lucy on his right.

"What did happy mean by A-Class?" Lucy asked as she looked to both Natsu and Erza, curious about the different classes while Gray flinched at the reminder that he is one of the weakest mages in the room, a concept that made him feel quite insignificant and weak. 'When we get back, I'm going to train twice as hard, I need to get stronger. The fact that fighting Deliora might be up to Natsu alone is more than enough reason for me to get stronger.' Gray thought as he continued to look around, careful to avoid any traps that could hurt the others because his conscience can't handle much more guilt.

"Well, there are different classes of quests, just like there are mages. This ensures that no mage takes a quest they are incapable of completing, thus preventing them from death or being maimed." Erza recites as if from memory, making Lucy nod her head in agreement while Natsu kept looking around before he heard something.

"Get Down!" Natsu shouted as he stuck his arms out to grab both women behind the shoulder and pull them down as he bent over, causing both Erza and Lucy to bend over with him, while Happy flew forward and tackled Gray to the ground.

"Ssht" They all heard as old wooden spears laced with dried poison flew above their heads, before falling to the ground a dozen feet ahead.

"That... was close," Natsu said as he stood up, extending an arm to each woman to help them back up, which they both surprisingly accepted. Once everyone was back on their feet, Happy flew back to Natsu and snuggled up against him again, while Natsu wrapped his arms around his son. They continued to move forward, even more cautiously than before, because if Natsu never sensed the incoming projectiles, they all would have ended up as Fairy Tail Kebabs.

"As dangerous as this maze is, it is kind of cool," Lucy said as she looked around in amazement at all the hieroglyphs and different paths. "So, what was the purpose of this place anyways, I doubt they went through all this trouble just for fun," Lucy asked as she, Erza and Natsu continued to walk side by side into the maze, taking even more, care to avoid any traps or triggers that could otherwise lead to their doom.

"Well, when I first found the maze, I brought out my book and started translating the faded message at the entrance of the maze. It was warning you that you had to know the correct history behind this temple and Moon Drip to be able to safely pass through the maze. So, since we didn't know where you are, or how much time it would take, I made my own path." Natsu said as he was looking around the maze, being careful that all his senses were on high alert especially since any possible pressure plates had no sound, scent or different feel at all.

"As much as I hate the destruction of National Treasures, I do agree that the situation was quite daring," Erza concluded as she watched Gray walk up ahead, with his hands in his pockets as he too looked around, not wanting to be in a bird cage again, especially since Happy would never let him live it down.

"Happy, are you okay? Why are you so quiet?" Lucy asked curiously. 'I never thought I would ever see that taunting blue cat quiet... I hope his head doesn't hurt too much', she thought as she looked towards Happy who was contently sitting in his father's arms, but most importantly, he was quiet.

"Well, when Natsu usually goes on S-Class quests, I have to be very careful and quiet, otherwise something could go wrong, like when you screamed." Happy taunted as he looked towards Lucy with a giggle, causing both Erza and Natsu to become quite curious.

"Happy," Natsu said as he looked at the blue cat in his arms, who was giggling with no abandon. "Why did Lucy scream?" He asked quietly, expecting an answer from his surrogate son of six years.

 _Flashback (Copy and Paste :D)_

"Maybe two or three weeks." Happy said as they drifted a little closer to the ground because Happy was growing tired.

"And during that time you stay with Mira and she gives you fish?" Lucy asks, making the mistake of reminding the playful feline of his favorite food while being given a lift by said feline. At the mere mention of fish Happy was stuck in a daze, and started drooling.

"DON'T YOU DARE DROOL ON ME!" Lucy screamed, causing Happy to drop her due to the sheer pitch of her scream and cover his poor, blue ears with his tiny little hands. Which, of course, made her scream once more as she fell bust first to the ground, because more mass means more gravity, and, her tits are a helluva a lot heavier than her head, am I right?!

When Lucy's absurdly large, disproportioned chest hit the ground, her head slammed down onto the cold rock floor, knocking her out and leaving a large gash on her forehead that started bleeding like a gusher. Happy, in his attempt to save his ears from the high-pitched abuse, pitched his head downwards to be able to cover his ears better. He never saw the rock protruding from the wall, and smashed right into it, causing a small gash to form on the back of his head knocking him out. And then, he fell onto the cold, rough ground in a mess of limbs and green cloth.

 _Flashback End_

"Seriously! That's what happened?" Natsu shouted in shock as Gray turned around with his jaw on the ground as he looked back at the buxom blonde who was trying to look everywhere BUT at her friends. However, that was quite the difficult task since she was practically surrounded by them, so she just took to sitting on the ground. Erza was just looking up as if she was trying to find some answer from a deity on how to handle this situation, and unfortunately, she found none.

"Let's just keep going," Lucy muttered as she wrapped her arms around her slim waist, fidgeting with the leather skirt as she walked forwards with a smirking Natsu and a giggling Happy in his arms. After a few seconds of deep breathing, Erza walked forwards following Natsu as they continued to pass a gaping Gray, who apparently couldn't conceive they got injured by THAT! 'How does that even work? Is it possible!?' Gray thought as he was slowly being left behind

After a few minutes of walking in silence, with Lucy in the lead, with Erza as a close second and Natsu trailing behind softly talking to Happy, before he noticed something was missing. 'Where the hell is Gray' Natsu thought as he looked around. But when he focused on them, he realized Gray was still standing stock still, gaping as he had when Happy had revealed what happened.

"Um... Erza?" Natsu said quietly as they approached the exit of the maze, causing both her and Lucy to turn around and groan when they realized Gray wasn't there.

"I sincerely hope you know where he is, otherwise he will not be walking home after all of this is said and done," Erza said through gritted teeth as Happy flew out of Natsu's arms into the air as he winked in their direction before disappearing in a flash of fire, before reappearing seconds later with his hand tightly grasping Gray's shoulder. The second Natsu stepped away from Gray, he was sent careening into the wall with the force of a freight train.

"I SWEAR TO MAVIS! IF THERE IS ONE MORE DISTRACTION OR DELAY, I WILL PUNISH YOU ALL, PERSONALLY!" Erza rants, annoyed at all the time wasted causing happy to bolt behind a shaking Lucy in an attempt to hide from Erza's wrath, while Natsu just stood there with a face of "What did I do" as he rubbed his neck in while Gray just rubbed his head in pain, as he crawled out of the hole in the wall that he was just flung into.

"Aye!" Both Happy and Lucy cried in fear as they hugged each other as they shook in fear, Erza's wrath being scarier than the threat of Deliora, because not even Natsu could save them from Erza.

"Let's go." Erza bit out as she walked forward, completely annoyed with all the time wasted for no apparent reason whatsoever. It took a few seconds for Lucy and Happy to follow with Natsu and Gray pulling up the back, quietly talking to each other as they passed through the past few meters of the maze.

"Do you really think you would be able to match Deliora?" Gray asked quietly as he walked by Natsu's side, curious on what he would be able to do it, and how.

"Honestly? To match blow for blow, or power for power, no. Deliora is a weapon of mass destruction. It can destroy anything and everything simply because it feels like it. But, I have a few ideas on how to stop it, or at least be able to distract it until all of you can get far enough away. If need be I can call in a Council favor." Natsu said with a sigh as he ran his right hand through his hair, already preparing contingency plans just like Gildarts and Laxus taught him in situations like this.

"What do you mean "call in a Council favor"?" Gray asks skeptically, catching the attention of both Lucy and Erza because Happy was having a cat nap, not ironic because HE'S NOT A CAT!

"Well, if I can't beat deliora we might have to call in the rune nights to contain him, permanently. or at least set up some runes to take him out." Natsu answered cryptically causing Erza's eyes to widen to new widths, while Lucy just watched confused, not use to all the council in's and out's.

"Are you considering asking them to use the Satellite Square?" Erza asked as she tackled Natsu into the wall with a sword to his throat causing Gray's eyes to shoot open, while Lucy just watched in confusion, missing the significance of the councils current strongest weapon.

"I honestly hope it won't come to that, but I should be able to hold Deliora back long enough to get some more people in to take care of him, at least another saint or two. Or even better Gildarts if he's around. Deliora is honestly considered to be an unbeatable weapon, and if someone were to be able to control or harness him, the world of magic as we know it could quickly reach its lowest point since the Dragon War." Natsu said seriously causing Erza to back up and put her sword back in her sheath.

"Don't worry about it too much though, the smarter we act the safer the world is," Natsu said as he continued to walk forward, prompting his friends to follow with Lucy quickly running up to him to ask more questions.

"What did you mean that Gildarts would be better than bringing in more Saints?" Lucy asked curiously, not worrying about the Satellite Square since she could research that on her own time.

"Lucy, I don't think you understand just how strong Gildarts' magic is," Gray said as he began to take his shirt off, only for it to sound an alarm, causing him to look down in shock.

"What... The Hell... Is That!" Gray asked as he looked down at his shirt that had an alarm in it.

"Oh! That's a house arrest shirt, figured it would help you keep your clothes on." Natsu said with a wink while Lucy outright laughed. Erza just smirked at the fact that a criminal's clothing could help him fix his stripping problem.

"So the Wizard Saints are the strongest mages in the world right? So how is Gildarts better than the strongest mage in the world? I just don't understand." Lucy asked after she finished laughing at the blushing Gray, who was torn between being appreciative and annoyed.

"Dissambly magic is universal, and works on EVERYTHING! Magic, Trees, you name it, it can break it. So having Gildarts with you when you're fighting a living weapon is having the best potential defense." Natsu explained as he led the way through the tunnel, and was confused when he couldn't see through to the other side.

"You got to be kidding me!" Natsu yelled as Gray just exited the maze, having had finally gotten rid of his blush. "There's no way the illusion survived my flames, this tunnel is actually real." Natsu moaned as he looked down the tunnel causing Erza to quirk her brows while Gray sighed in annoyance.

"Right, I've had enough of this, Let's skip through this because I'm tired of seeing rock for hours on end," Natsu said in annoyance causing everyone to turn and look at him in curiosity, and annoyance.

"Are you saying, that we didn't have to walk all the way through here and that we could have just skipped through it?" Gray asked in annoyance while Erza just looked at him.

"Gray, I don't think you understand just how bad a situation we are in. Who knows if anyone was guarding Lucy and Happy, or what conflict would ensue. You have to save as much magic power as possible, even if it forces you to do some mundane tasks like walking a few extra miles. But, if it really comes down to it I can have a snack before we fight." Natsu explained really slowly as if Gray was a child, needing things to be explained too much, just to grasp the concept. Both Happy and Lucy were giggling at Natsu's obvious blatant innuendo regarding Gray's intelligence while Erza just stared in annoyance, finding the whole situation quite irritating given the stakes at hand.

"If you are going to do something, It would be wise to do it now so help me, Mavis!" Erza said aloud causing Gray to stop glaring while Natsu put his hands up in defeat.

"Alright... now, this is going to sound weird, but everyone please hold hands," Natsu said aloud as he held his arms out on both sides of his body. Happy quickly flew towards his left hand before grabbing on and extending his left to Lucy, who extended her hand to Gray, who extended his hand to Erza, who completed the circle.

"Is there anything we need to do?" Lucy asked curiously, wondering how a fire mage with requip is going to teleport 5 people when in a tunnel deep underground.

"Yep! Just pray this works and that it doesn't end up killing us." Natsu said as he begun to channel his magic, causing a ring of fire to rise up from the feet of the Fairy Tail mages, causing quite a spectacle if anyone were to be watching them.

Gray had never felt weirder, being an ice mage surrounded by fire, but surprisingly it wasn't burning him. And as an elemental mage, he had to give Natsu props to be able to control its properties.

Lucy was looking wide eyed at her arms and legs, having never experienced something like this in her life, before her mind wandered, the mind of a writer never resting.

Erza was looking around not surprised but, she hadn't expected he would be able to control that much fire to that scale, to not even feel the warmth is astonishing. It completely surpassed Macao's mastery over fire. 'I'm curious if he can create sticky fire like that, and use it to grab stuff too.' Erza thought curiously before she heard Natsu answer Lucy's question.

"What!?" Lucy screamed in shock, but Happy just held on tighter while some of the fire wrapped around their hands creating bands stronger than the iron, locking them together, no matter how much Gray or Lucy struggled. Erza just glared at Natsu for scaring Gray and Lucy like that, and just held onto Gray's hand tighter making him wince and look at her before noticing how calm she was, and relaxing.

"Not cool man, you're kidding right?" Gray asked as Natsu closed his eyes making the fire calm and expand, making a column of flames that reached the ceiling. They started to feel weird, their skin tingling and it started to feel weird as the flames begun to

" _Fire Dragon's Encompassing Flames,"_ Natsu said aloud making Erza look at him in surprise, having had expected him to use _Flaming Steps_. Luckily, nobody noticed because the minute he finished the spell, the column of flames became giant, intricate wings of fire that spread out from where Natsu sood. His body becoming the spine of a dragon with the wings spreading out from his shoulders, coming around and covering both Lucy and Gray.

All of the mages there looked around in shock, never believing something like this was possible to do with fire magic. Lucy looked around herself only to see she couldn't see herself, she couldn't see anything. When she opened her eyes, all she could see was a band of black fire wrapped around her eyes, blocking her vision completely freaking her out. She tried to open her mouth and couldn't, she tried to move, but she couldn't. All she could do was wait, and hope Natsu didn't kill them all.

Gray was completely uncomfortable, being totally surrounded and restricted by fire was uncomfortable in and out of itself, but as an ice mage? It was almost sacrilegious. He honestly wasn't even sure that Fire Make Magic was a thing, he knew that Macao could solidify his flames to grab objects out of reach, but to completely restrain someone like that, and remove their ability to move with a few simple binds, while still allowing them to breathe is quite the feat. 'Man, is this really how much better Natsu is than all of us?' Gray thought in the mere seconds it took for the spell to activate.

Erza simply stood there, with her eyes closed, trying to prevent certain memories from coming to the forefront of her mind. Memories of her past, of being chained and bound, tortured and restrained caused her breath to pitch, and if she could have moved her hand, she would have been shaking in fear. Never in her life had she ever felt so powerless before. 'I'm not on the tower. I'm stronger now, they can't get me from here.' Erza thought as she kept her eyes closed because not even her armor granted the usual comfort of safety., waiting for Natsu's spell to activate until she realized. 'Where are we going to end up?' She thought as she tried to consider where Natsu thought their destination was past going back to Deliora, or if they were going to exit the temple.

They stood there for a few mere seconds, waiting for Natsu's spell to activate until they all realized. 'Where are we going to end up?' They thought as they tried and failed to discern where Natsu thought their destination was until they all reached the same conclusion, 'We're just going to have to wait and see' they all decided, almost simultaneously before the flames started to move.

The wings of fire started condensing down, bringing everyone closer together. The triangular head of a maroon dragon started to grow from where Natsu stood from its spine growing a long neck, it opened its mouth roaring to the, well, ceiling, before turning to look down the tunnel that the Fairy Tail mages were down. The Dragon of made of multicolored fire opened its mouth, before sending a wave of flames down the tunnel as it kept its wings closed. After it cut off the wave of flames, spread its wings displaying its body in full view, showing it's taught, scaly beige with a scar on its right pectoral with its wings extended. It stood on its scaly back legs with its dark maroon tail curling to the right as it spread full eagle, displaying its strength and roaring in pride, but, the Fairy Tail Mages were gone.

* * *

Guest 1 from Chapter 1 - With Aries, I know her original "Handler" for lack of a better word, Karen, treated her very badly. And then, she gets stuck with Sorano. I understand that Natsu helping Aries with her confidence, and treating her as a real person would get him far in a relationship with her, romantic or otherwise. However, the likelihood that Natsu would summon, or be around her when she is summoned, long enough for that kind of connection is very unlikely. I can't really come up with any scenarios whether Natsu, Sorano or Lucy, hell, even Yukino summons her. It's a great idea though, and if an opportunity comes up, I'll try it, but otherwise, I can't see it happening. Even if Natsu helped with Sorano and Yukino, it's not enough exposure for someone to fall in love. The harem I'm writing isn't about sex, since I;m not writing about it. So it has to be real, tangible attraction, lust, and like. I understand that Virgo is a lot easier, but, since I never did the Everlue arc, unless I have Virgo as the "reward" for the Galuna island arc since she has Sagittarius already. That would be the only way I could write Virgo in and have her in faster. Sure I could write a whole new arc and that takes a lot more time than I currently have. Regarding Virgo though, even if Natsu were to become Virgo's caster, it is highly unlikely that Natsu would use her just for house keeping because he cares more for his friends than that. These are really good ideas though, and even if Natsu didn't summon her, I;m not sure she has enough magic like Leo to constantly do stuff like that, let me know otherwise if I'm wrong :P

Guest 2 from Chapter 16- You, my friend, have caught onto the game. I am currently trying to decide whether Lucy should be loose the keys indefinitely, forcing her to learn another magic. Whether or not she would go to the councils Magic school, or be taught in the guild I haven't really decided. But yeah, I do want Lucy to learn another magic at some point in time because while celestial keys are really strong, it's relying on other people or beings. And I don't want to kill Aquarius, or anyone else for the Tartarus arc simply because Lucy on her own isn't strong enough. I was always really curious on how Sorano's angel magic(?) worked if anyone could explain that it would be lovely. And Yukino. She is tricky due to the fact she is in a legal guild currently not in conflict with Fairy Tail for almost a decade. I haven't quite had any ideas for that far in, as I am still trying to wrap up the Galuna Island arc, which should be done within at least 4 chapters.

Dragneel Harem, chapter 16- I've been that lazy before! Thanks for the review, it means a lot.

Guest 3 from Chapter 16- Alright, so it's fairly safe to presume Ultear is in current possession of the gate keys right? So it's whatever she decides to do with them. Sure, she could give them to Angel, GIRL POWER! or, she could black mail Lucy, or whatever type of game she wants (Thanks, Mythfan!)

(A/N I'm not ranking reviewers, it's just from date they reviewed.)

* * *

This is everyone that is in the harem. As of right now, it is unchangeable, as I refuse to remove a girl that all of you voted in without at least trying. Yes, a list of 27 girls are planned to fall for Natsu. I'm Screwed.

1\. Milliana

2\. Kagura Mikazuchi

3\. Sherry Blendy

4\. Lucy Heartfilia

5\. Ikaruga Ryu

6\. Wendy Marvell

7\. Erza Scarlet

8\. Sayla

9\. Kyoka

10\. Sorano Agria

11\. Yukino Agria

12\. Meredy

13\. Ultear Milkovich

14\. Brandish Myu

15\. Dimaria Yestia

16\. Hisui E Fiore

17\. Irene B

18\. Juvia Loxar

19\. Lisanna Strauss

20\. Minerva O

21\. Jenny Realight

22\. Mirajane Strauss

23\. Cana Alberona

24\. Ur Milkovich

25\. Celestial Spirits

\- Aquarius

-Libra

 _-_ Opichius

-Aries (MAYBE)

-Virgo (MAYBE)

* * *

Why Natsu thought about Etherion; First of all, Ur on her own isn't really power scaled in this AU. However, her necklace that is now in the possession of Gray, easily made her the strongest ice mage of all time. Anyways, Ur on her own would have easily been at least the seventh wizard Saint, so with the necklace... it creates a reason for Natsu to be concerned considering She had to sacrifice her own life to stop him, ignoring the circumstances.

* * *

I know the Galuna Island Arc isn't really many people's favorite, but, I'm going to do some things with it that makes writing it take a LOT longer. For instance, Ultear and Gray, they've met, can he focus on Lyon? or will he insist on talking to her? Little things like that, make me need to write it with enough clarity there are no plot holes. I'm also hinting at his necklace being a special kind of lacrima, which will be tapped into further here. The origin of Moon drip itself! Is part of what I'm trying to write in. So just try and stay on the trip, because there's A LOT you can do with Galuna island, and I want to do it all :D

* * *

Quick question, is there ever a limit to how many flashbacks you can do a chapter?

* * *

So I've decided that to do the Battle for Fairy Tail arc, something must happen that pisses Laxus off so much he would risk everything to prove a point. So, Daphne arc must come first.


	18. An Out of Body Experience

And onto the story.

 **Recap**

" _Fire Dragon's Encompassing Flames,"_ Natsu said aloud making Erza look at him in surprise, having had expected him to use _Flaming Steps_. Luckily, nobody noticed because the minute he finished the spell, the column of flames became giant, intricate wings of fire that spread out from where Natsu stood. His body becoming the spine of a dragon with the wings spreading out from his shoulders, coming around and covering both Lucy and Gray.

The wings of fire started condensing down, bringing everyone closer together. The triangular head of a maroon dragon started to grow from where Natsu stood from its spine growing a long neck, it opened its mouth roaring to the, well, ceiling, before turning to look down the tunnel that the Fairy Tail mages were traversing down. The Dragon made of multicolored fire opened its mouth, before sending a wave of flames down the tunnel as it kept its wings closed. After it cut off the wave of flames, spread its wings displaying its body in full view, showing it's taught, scaly beige with a scar on its right pectoral with its wings extended. It stood on its scaly back legs with its dark maroon tail curling to the right as it spread full eagle, displaying its strength and roaring in pride, but, the Fairy Tail Mages were gone.

 **Current time**

The wave of fire rushed down the tunnel, exponentially accumulating speed, it got so fast that it was a pure rush of heat, charring and burning the floor and walls. It was now flying over meters upon meters of the cave in a single second, and it showed no sign of stopping. The wave of orange flames started to have multi-colored tinges the longer the spell was active. Tinges of scarlet, flaxen, salmon, cerulean and black began to grow in size, drawing on the oxygen in the air to fuel it. It began to encompass the full diameter of the tunnel, leaving the whole area charred and burnt.

'This is so weird...' Gray thought as he somehow observed everything going on outside of the fire, from inside of it, but without any physical body at all.

'I concur,' Erza thought, agreeing with Gray's statement, completely freaking him out, while you could over hear Happy's annoying laugh rumbling in the background, somehow laughing in thought form...

'How is he always laughing!' Lucy thought in distress making Gray sigh at what she was worried about, having to be stuck with Happy of all people, intellectually for any extended period of time being considered as torture.

'He's Happy,' Erza thought-replied, un-ironically, making Gray mentally face palm while Erza just watched them return to the spot where all the stress began, and 'to think that they were never actually injured by the enemy...' Erza thought making Happy stop laughing while Erza mentally cursed, forgetting that everyone could hear her thoughts.

"Happy, since you are more familiar with Natsu and his magic, do you know how this spell works? Erza asked making both Gray and Lucy concur in agreement, wanting to know why he would work on and use a spell like this.

"Hmmm...' Happy thought, trying to think back to when Laxus and Natsu were talking to each other and training, trying to find ways to avoid their weaknesses and overall failing. Luckily, Happy was unable to recall the memory and drew on a blank.

'I can't remember!' Happy mentally cheered, perceivably unable to feel down whatsoever, which made Lucy quite jealous, since she is currently worried about her keys. Gray simply just listened in amusement, finding Happy's lack of shame amusing.

'How exactly does this work? Like, I know this is magic and all, but, how did Natsu turn us into the fire?' Lucy asked, hoping that between an experienced S-Class mage, a maker mage, and a cat that has been with Natsu the most, they would have at least the slightest idea of how 4 mages and a cat were turned into fire and sharing a mental plane while observing everything going on around them.

'I hate to say this, but I haven't the slightest clue at all, I never knew something like this was possible, there are so many different magic types and disciplines mixed into one thing, but to even keep it active this long...' Gray trailed off making Happy 'Aye!' in agreement.

'Erza?' Lucy asked, curious if the S-Class mage had any clue on how this worked, but, hope was quickly dwindling due to the fact she hadn't received a response for a few seconds.

'Unfortunately Lucy... I have no idea, however, I do hope Natsu will provide sufficient explanations after all of this is done and over with.

Erza was currently watching as they were quickly approaching Deliora, making Erza curious if they were going to stop or leave the temple completely.

'Natsu, when are we going to stop?' Erza asked curiously, making Gray and Lucy stop talking about how maker magic works, and how Natsu does all this. Unfortunately, she had no reply, which made her quite annoyed, until she reached an epiphany.

'I am going to assume that you are not ignoring me on purpose, but you are actually too preoccupied keeping the spell up, and are not able to respond. So, I expect you to answer all questions, and please escort us out of the temple.' Erza said making Gray sigh in annoyance while Happy giggled in amusement, interested on whether Natsu will A) Obey Erza and not face consequences or B) Ignore her and face the consequences. However, once they quickly passed by Deliora down the first tunnel they ever entered on this day, until they reached the room in which the ceiling collapsed.

They all watched in shock as multi-coloured arms of fire sprouted out, reaching outrageously high, grasping the jagged and broken edges of the floor, somehow lifting them up, confirming the theory that Natsu can turn flames solid, and pulled them up, making them all watch as they are lifted into the air and through the hole in the ceiling.

'I hate to admit it, but this is impressive...' Gray trailed off as the fire grew legs and started to walk out of the temple entering the brush and untamed wildlife that is Galuna Island.

Erza quickly scanned the area, looking for any signs of enemies or monsters, and after a bit, she was confident they were alone.

'Natsu, deactivate the spell now.' She thought aloud making Gray sigh in annoyance once again.

'Why can't she just ask like a normal person,' Gray thought despondently, having grown tired of her overbearing bossiness, before realizing that they were currently sharing a mental plane, meaning, Erza heard him loud and clear. Lucy gasped aloud in fear for her new friend Gray's well-being, having finally gotten used to sharing an intellectual plane with a flying cat, a cold knight, and a stripper.

Happy laughed excitedly in anticipation, his cruel, sadistic nature enjoying the fact that Gray is going to get a beat down, for trying to teach manners to Erza when he can't even keep his own clothes on.

'Gray, if this was your first incident of the day, I would ignore it due to the stakes at hand, however, Since we are still on a time limit you shall face punishment if and when we return.' Erza stated in a scathing tone, making Happy groan in disappointment, hoping that Erza would be Gray up after Natsu released the spell. Lucy simply prayed that Erza forgot this ever happened, or else Gray might not be going on another quest for a few months.

'Now Natsu, let's not waste time, please dispell the _Encompassing Flame_ ' Erza asked, her voice sounding harder, evident due to her anger towards Gray.

All the fairy tail mages watched as the body of the flame moved closer towards the ground, the hands and legs being drawn into the body of the flame. the flame flattened its body as it reached the ground, turning into a column of flames before they started feeling that strange sensation once again.

From within the flames, the multicolored flames started to condense into separate areas, beginning to form the bodies of the Fairy Tail mages. The bodies of Happy, Lucy, Gray, Erza and finally Natsu had begun to become clearer, as their arms joined them at once. And slowly, their bodies begun to transform from the multicolored flames into their own individual bodies, with Natsu and Lucy holding Happy up as the rest held hands. Unfortunately for Happy, Lucy's muscles were not accustomed to being transformed flames and back, and she wasn't able to support his weight, dropping him, fortunately, Natsu was more than ready to support his friend's weight as they finished their transformation back into people.

The orange column of flames that held the mages together continued to burn brightly as the Fairy Tail wizards grew reaccustomed to being back into their own bodies, keeping them supported and standing as their heads stopped spinning and their legs stopped feeling like jelly.

The center of the column started to burn out, before spreading towards the mages and dying down entirely. Natsu was the first to move from his spot, pulling Happy into his arms and holding him around his mid section as his friends looked at each other, amazed at how he still wasn't showing any signs of magic sickness whatsoever.

Erza was the next to recover, pulling her hand quickly away from Gray's still annoyed at his lack of respect, and making her wonder how many times others had made snide comments when she couldn't hear. 'Focus' She thought resolutely as she looked towards the sky, and she was surprised to see that they still had a couple hours until sundown. Looking towards Natsu she was not surprised to see how moving about, however, she was slightly surprised at how well he was holding up. She could see that his face was a little paler than usual and had some sweat dripping down his forehead, but other than that there were no other signs of magic deficiency. 'It was a little too showy,' Erza thought as she requipped her Fire Empress Sword before sending a ' _F_ _ire Slash_ ' in his direction, which he consumed quickly with a quick "thanks."

"Alright, What's the plan?" Erza asked aloud as Gray had finally gotten his bearings, letting go of Lucy's hand, causing her to fall, only to be caught by Happy, who had used max speed to fly behind her and grab her collar, before gently lowering her to the ground, as Gray walked towards Natsu who was just staring at the sky, confused.

"Flame brain, Watcha looking at?" Gray asked as Lucy continued attempting to gather her barrings. Gray was walking towards Natsu, curious to see if he could see the same thing, however, once he reached Natsu and looked up, he saw nothing.

"I think... I just discovered how to break the curse, I'm not sure though." Natsu replied, making both Erzas and Happy's eyes shoot open in disbelief, however, Gray was feeling a bit more skeptical. Erza quickly jogged towards Natsu, hoping for more of an explanation.

"I'm not too sure about that... How do you know the curse isn't because of Deliora? Because I don't see anything up there." Gray said as he turned towards Natsu, putting his hands in his pockets. Happy, having finally made sure that Lucy was okay, flew towards Natsu before taking his perhaps in his father's shoulder, hoping he too would see what Gray didn't.

Lucy's PoV

Lucy had finally found her center of balance, looking towards the more experienced mages with a tinge of awe. 'I knew there would be a gap between us, but I didn't think it would be that vast' she thought as she watched her friends discuss the curse. 'I figured my intelligence would make me at least more useful than Happy,' Lucy thought as she stood up to join them, 'But, it just proves that putting theory into practice requires experience.' she concluded as she reached her friends, catching the end of Natsu's argument.

"-There is no proof that the presence of a dormant demon, especially Deliora can turn other people into demons!" Natsu said firmly as he looked Gray in the eyes, while Erza and Happy watched in annoyance and amusement respectively.

"Enough!" Erza intervened while sending a punch at both mages, flinging Gray into the ground while Natsu caught her gauntleted fist firmly in his hand causing Happy to laugh, Lucy to look in shock, and Erza to scoff, before pulling her hand back with a small smirk on her face that only Lucy caught. 'Why is she happy he blocked her fist...' Lucy pondered before

Group PoV

"Natsu, what makes you think that something to do with the curse is in the sky?" Erza asked, curious if he had any real, in-depth expansion rather than a mere hunch. Gray slowly stood up, rubbing his head in annoyance, sending a glare in Erza's direction that was trumped by a glower from the scarlet knight.

"Maybe it's because we were underground for so long, but I swear that there's a film in the sky... It's really weird, I've never really seen anything like it..." Natsu trailed off as he continued to squint towards the sky. Happy tried to look harder, curling his little paws into binoculars, hoping to see the film, but unfortunately, those are his hands...

"That is quite unusual... About how high is that 'film' in the air." Erza queried as she put her left arm under her busy and her right to her chin, trying to think of any possible causes for the film. 'What does he mean by a film? Is it a barrier? Or is it like a giant soap bubble..." Erza thought as she tried to picture this 'film' in the air, and drawing blanks in trying to form anything realistic.

"I don't know exactly, maybe a couple hundred feet in the air? It's really hard to tell." Natsu replied as he continued to stare at the sky, making Lucy worried for his vision while Gray just watched in silence, annoyed that they're completely ignoring the threat of Deliora, who could kill everyone in the island either way and instead waste their time staring at clouds.

"Hey, won't you go blind doing that, especially since you eyes are stronger than normal humans," Lucy asked alarmed that the wizard saint is going to become blind right before her eyes. Happy just scoffed in amusement. 'Asif a guy who can literally blow flames will lose their sight looking at the sun. Silly Lucy...' Happy thought as he awaited Natsu's response to her stupid question.

"If I were anyone else, yes. But, a fire dragon slayer has to be used to being completely surrounded or even coated in fire." Natsu said as he looked towards her, his pupils formed into reptilian slits due to looking at the sun for so long.

"Hey, solving the curse is great and all, but we won't be helping anyone if Deliora gets free." Gray interrupted, trying to remind his friends of the larger problem on the horizon, making Erza sigh in agreement.

"Unfortunately, Gray is right..." Erza said as she looked at all the Fairy Tail mages. So how are we going to do this?" She asked as she looked to Natsu, curious as to his thoughts before she looked at Gray and Lucy looking for suggestions.

"Right, well... So they are going to release Deliora by using Moon Drip right? So we should check out he too if the temple because one of the guys mentioned "gathering moon light" Lucy said softly at the start before her voice gradually grew in volume as she continued on.

"I agree," Natsu said quickly before looking to Gray, "Do you know anything about that 'Cold Emperor that Sherry girl was talking about? You seemed pretty surprised to hear about him." Natsu said as he quirked his right eyebrow in Gray's direction, causing literally everyone to look at Gray, even the guy in a full body robe and mask hiding in the branch of a tree downwind from Natsu...

"I... I wasn't It's first and only student. She had a daughter named Ultear before she took me in, but she was said to have died because of having too much magic inside her as a child, but they never let Ur see the body. " Gray said quietly making Lucy gasp at the pain Ur must have gone through. 'to not only lose your only child but having nothing to say goodbye to...' she thought as she continued to listen to Gray's story.

,"I'm sorry to interrupt, really, but what did you say her daughter's name is?" Natsu interrupted making everyone look at him for different reasons. Erza was surprised that he was worried about her name, more than anything else. Gray was annoyed that he has to wait to finish his story, and Lucy was confused on why that was the most important detail. Happy was a little surprised because the name sounded familiar to him as well.

"Her name was Ultear, Ultear Milkovich," Gray said causing both Erza's and Natsu's eyes to shoot open, while Lucy and Happy stated in confusion, still missing the significance.

"I don't know how to ask this Gray... But what did Ur look like?" Natsu asked as he ignored Lucy yelling at him for being so rude, and Erza's defense of his actions. He was completely focused on Gray looking him straight in the eyes.

"She had dark purple hair in a bob cut..." Gray listed with his eyes closed, picturing his late master in his mind. She was about the same height as Mira is now, and about the same body type too." Gray said as he opened his eyes and looked at Natsu, curious as to why this was soon important.

"I don't know how to say this to you... But there's someone on the magic council who goes by the name of your master's deceased daughter..." Natsu trailed off, unable to look Gray in the eyes. Gray, was completely shocked after hearing what Natsu said. 'There's no way... I got to see if this is real or not, did she actually survive? And why did the council lie to Ur!' Gray thought in anger, mad that his master was lied to over something as integral and important as this.

"But even more importantly... I believed she's on the island." Erza said as she looked to Gray with her hands on her hips, annoyed that he would leave that minute detail out, especially when it's this important. After Erza said that Natsu's whole body tensed in a mixture of fear a shock, more the latter than the former. Happy just looked at his father, amused that his father would lose his Lacy's like composure over something like that.

Lucy, was looking between her friends, caught up in the drama of Gray's past, her mind racing at the possibility of writing a story like it, however, what about these other students.

"After It's daughter died... Were there any more students,?" Lucy asked pulling a notebook out of... Somewhere, taking notes on the most important details. Happy was outright laughing at Lucy's weird quirk while Gray and Natsu just stared on in annoyance, having heard enough around the guild to know exactly why she was asking.

"Well, I was getting to that before I was interrupted," Gray said as he turned towards Natsu with a smirk while Erza rolled her eyes. 'I will never understand men's Erza thought resolutely as she watched them interact, and not being able to logically following along.

"But yeah, I was trained with this other kid by the name of Lyon... But I haven't heard anything of him since Gildarts brought me to Fairy Tail." Gray said, shocking Natsu, 'Gildarts never told me he brought Gray to Fairy Tail... I guess the old bastard really doesn't brag about everything.' Natsu thought with a smirk as he turned to look at his fellow mages, before his ear twitched making him go still as a plank, before his hand shot towards his pocket, grabbing the communication lacrimation. 'I think we're being watched, I heard something. Act normal but be alert.' Natsu warned before he turned out of the conversation, focusing, waiting for something to break the silence surrounding but not including the Fairy Tail mages.

'Message Received, if they leave we'll follow them' Erza replied, glad that they may have found a trail to the enemy base. She then focused back on the conversation at hand, watching Lucy ask many different questions about how they met and such, which were quickly pissing Gray off while Lucy kept taking notes.

"So do you believe, that this Cold Emperor, is the same Lyon you trained with!? That is inadvertently killing your master?" Erza asked, not understanding why someone would go to such lengths for any reason.

"I honestly hope not, but, given how the day has been, probably," Gray replied humourlessly as he looked up and ran his right hand through his hair as he sighed, making Lucy take the hint and put her notebook back where it came from.

"Does he use the same type of ice magic you do? Or is it snow related." Erza asked curiously, looking for as much information as possible before having to engage this man in combat.

"He uses _Dynamic Ice Make Magic_ ," Gray replied making Erza's head to know in satisfaction while Lucy crossed her arms in confusion.

"Don't you use _I_ _ce Make_ as well?" Lucy asked curiously, not distinguishing the difference between them while Natsu continued to listen and focus with Happy just laughing at Lucy's lack of knowledge until Erza gave him a stern look that locked his jaw.

"I use _S_ _tatic Ice Make_ , creating things that don't move on their own. _Dynamic Ice Make_ is when you create an animal or vehicle." Gray replied with his hands in his pockets while Lucy made an "ahh", letting him know he didn't need to describe any further.

"Alright, let's head back to the village to inform them of the dangers so they can evacuate to the other side of the island," Erza said as she looked at Natsu, before turning in the direction of the village making a confused Lucy and a disgruntled Gray follow her.

Erza's PoV

"Why are we warning them of Deliora?! Trust me, even going to the other side of the island won't stop his rampage. He could kill them with a beam from the temple!" Gray protested, outraged that they would waste the time or magic to warn the villagers when they can't be evacuated off the island.

Lucy was just trailing behind silently, trusting that Erza was doing the thing, even though she partially agreed with Gray, since he had the first-hand experience of handling the demon, especially since it is said to be stronger than Lullaby, whom would have taken a long time even with Erza, Elfman, and Gray on full assault.

"That's because we're not," Erza said confusing both Lucy and Gray as she continued to walk forward before Gray jogged to catch up with Lucy walking behind.

"What do you mean? Wait! Why is Natsu staying back." Gray asked as he walked beside Erza, curious as to what would be so important as to cut down planning time.

"Natsu noticed we were being watched, we're just a diversion, the hope is that they will go to report instead of following us further," Erza replied making Gray annoyed and Lucy curious, and a little flabbergasted.

"Wait! Does Natsu know Telepathy too!?" Lucy asked in shock, surprised by his extensive repertoire making Gray's eyes shoot wide open in shock. 'Warren is a strong mage by his own right just due to his ability to read minds alone... But for Natsu, a Dragon slaying, fire making telepathist? If he's 6th, what's the repertoire of the 1st...' Gray thought in shock before Erza quickly quelled his worries.

"As far as I am aware, Natsu is not capable of using telepathy. However, due to his rank in the saints and association with the council, he was able to get his hands on a _telepathic lacrima link."_ Erza said making Lucy's jaw drop, having read an article about them in a magazine. Gray, on the other hand, was confused, never having heard of them before.

"A what?" Gray asked, not entirely sure exactly what it is, making Lucy face palm and Erza sigh in defeat.

"It's a two lacrima relay loop that you can communicate with other people by thought, like during our short time in the _Encompassing Flames,"_ Erza replied making Gray nod in acknowledgment.

"So, we just walk until Natsu gives us the go..." Lucy asks curiously, receiving an "affirmative" from the leader of their crew.

"Greaaaaat." Gray sarcastically draws, realizing that if Natsu doesn't follow them, or breaks the lacrima, they could possibly be walking for a very long time. 'Not like we haven't done enough of that...' Gray thought as he subconsciously attempted to remove his shirt, before hearing the same alarm as earlier, making him shout "Come On!" while Lucy and Erza reveled in his embarrassment.

"I don't really strip that much, right?" Gray asked curiously, only to find that none of his friends could look him in the eyes, making him look to the sky in disdain. 'This is your fault Ur!' he mentally roared as they continued to walk forward.

Natsu's PoV

'Come on! Make your move.' Natsu thought as he stood there waiting, talking to Happy to pass the time and act as unassuming as possible, even though due to the situation it was quite obvious he knew they were being watched.

"Natshuu~" Happy says cutely, "What if he attacks you since you're alone?" He says making Natsu chuckle.

"I doubt he's going to try and-" Natsu said, only to be interrupted by a wooden ornate staff being slammed into where he was standing before Natsu jumped back in shock and annoyance.

"I really wanted to do this the easy way!" Natsu said as he lit himself on fire as Happy jumped off his shoulder, flying towards a tree to watch his father try to hold back.

"Intruders must not be allowed to leave! I shall pick you off one by one." The robed man says as he pulls his staff out of the ground, showing the intricately carved moon on the top. As Natsu assessed the man, he noticed that he had an athletic build hidden under the cultish like robes. Other than that, there were no telling signs of what he was capable of, other than the small crater in the ground...

"Right, are you truly that confident you can take me out?" Natsu asked amusedly, not sensing any magic whatsoever from the robed man in front of him, making him curious on how he's going to be beaten.

"I have been tasked to terminate every Fairy Tail mage on the island, including the sixth wizard saint Natsu Dragneel, and the Titania Erza Scarlet." The robed man said, making Natsu's eyebrow quirk in curiosity as no magic was discernible from the man still.

"Well then, let's see if you shall be successful?" Natsu said as fire begun to column around his body, making Happy confused, as this shouldn't even be someone that Natsu needs to use fire to defeat.

'Why is he...' Happy thought as he watched his father draw upon his magic to fight someone, with no magic. 'What's going on?' Happy pondered curiously until he ignored the unknowns and focused on the fact that his father will win, like always.

"I'll let you take the first hit then, let's see what you got," Natsu said as he spread his feet lowering his center of gravity to deter him from falling over from an attack, the column of fire adjusted in height, comparable to Natsu's movements.

Natsu received no verbal response, the only response he got was the robed man charging at him with the staff held low, no magic in use confusing Natsu since the man was aware of his rank.

When the robed man was within 5 feet of Natsu, his staff started to smoke, not completely lit on fire yet, but, it was enough to make the masked man back off.

'Natsu, what's the hold up?' Erza asked telepathically making Natsu sigh in sadness. 'He's attacking, but I should be able to track his scent back to their hide out.' Natsu said as the fire begun to die down, but on second look, it was actually condensing around Natsu's whole body, making Happy confused on what exactly his father was doing.

"Natshuuu~" Happy cried, "What's taking so long." He pouted making Natsu laugh and the robed man growled, before charging at Natsu, until he blurred and re appeared behind the robed man, karate chopping the back of his neck knocking him clean out.

"He's down!" Happy cheered as he flew towards the downed man before grabbing his arm and starting a count down.

"1!" Happy cheered as Natsu held his arms out to the sky, cheering in pride.\

"2!" Happy cried, as Natsu grabbed the man's staff.

"3!" Happy shouted as Natsu held the staff up with both hands above his head. The robed man still showed no signs of recovery or consciousness.

"2!" Happy cried as Natsu looked at his son in pride.

"1! KO!" Happy cried as he flew towards Natsu as they jumped around in joy.

"I did it buddy! I did it!" Natsu said as he hugged his son, having had requipped the staff into his magic space as a memento of the fight.

'Natsu! What's taking so long!' Erza asked in annoyance, their distance from the temple steadily increasing to the point that it would take a long time to get back.

'Yeah, alright, get back here, I caught the trail.' Natsu replied as he put Happy on his head before requipping magic-nullifying cuffs, as those are the only ones he has, before tying the robed man off.

'Hmm.' Natsu thought as he looked at the robed man, before removing the robe and requipping it as well.

* * *

Alright, Looks like all of you want Lucy to keep her keys. Can't say I'm not disappointed, but this does make saving Loke a whole lot easier xD. However, I do want Natsu and Erza to teach Lucy how to use requip, and maybe another magic. Give any suggestions in a review or PM. However, since it was so close I will have her learn a new magic because if she loses her keys she is practically useless in combat. I will have her spend some time going around learning some new stuff like I had planned earlier, but she will keep her keys, making her able to save Loke and such.

* * *

This is everyone that is in the harem. Final list.

1\. Milliana

2\. Kagura Mikazuchi

3\. Sherry Blendy

4\. Lucy Heartfilia

5\. Ikaruga Ryu

6\. Wendy Marvell

7\. Erza Scarlet

8\. Sayla

9\. Kyoka

10\. Sorano Agria

11\. Yukino Agria

12\. Meredy

13\. Ultear Milkovich

14\. Brandish Myu

15\. Dimaria Yestia

16\. Hisui E Fiore

17\. Irene B

18\. Juvia Loxar

19\. Lisanna Strauss

20\. Minerva O

21\. Jenny Realight

22\. Mirajane Strauss

23\. Cana Alberona

24\. Ur Milkovich

25\. Celestial Spirits

\- Aquarius

-Libra

 _-_ Opichius

-Aries (MAYBE)

-Virgo (MAYBE)

* * *

Guest from chapter 17- Honestly, I was planning on doing the Daphne arc, which aggravates Laxus into doing the Battle for Fairy Tail, to eradicate the members that look down on Natsu. Sayla has a different part to play in this story, that has been a long term mission, so to speak. All will be known at some point in time, but some things are meant for later on. BTW! Thanks for being the 150th reviewer! It means a lot.

* * *

In case you're curious, I keep mentioning Natsu's flames drawing upon oxygen because I believe that the highest tier of fire mage would be able to have their flames not only dependent on the caster for magic, but relying on the environment as well. It's like how instead of forming ice from magic, Gray can freeze water. or how instead of creating water Juvia can control it.

* * *

Explaining " _Fire Dragon's Encompassing Flame"_ more, Natsu essentially uses wings of fire to bring mages together and compressing them into fire. Then, Natsu is in control of the fire, and can turn it into anything, physical or otherwise. I'm planning to use this later on, I think it's obvious when, but props if you guess it right.


	19. Thinking Outside the Box

Chapter 18

And onto the story

"Sooooo, is Natsu currently tracking the person or whatever, and telling us where to go?" Lucy asked curiously as they all turned around on the spot before walking back to whence they came, not even five minutes earlier.

"Unfortunately, no," Erza said as she exhaled loudly through her nose making Gray laugh, his skepticism having been found true. While Lucy sighed, worried about how they were going to find and stop the mages without someone to pave the path for them.

"So, how are we going to find them and my keys?" Lucy asked in a very soft spoken tone of voice, making Gray walk forward and wrap his arm around her shoulders, hoping to provide some sort of comfort, due to him feeling guilty even though it wasn't really his fault. All he knew was his friend was hurting and he wasn't there to help her.

"Natsu believes that he will be able to track down the path to the enemy mages from scent and sight alone," Erza said aloud, knowing that it was small comfort to someone who has literally lost her life long friends that took years, maybe even a decade to find.

"Well, given Natsu's ability to track me and Happy, that doesn't give me much hope," Lucy said aloud making Gray wince while Erza simply kept a stoic look on her face. 'To a certain degree, I can understand her being skeptical, however, it is not his fault.' Erza thought as she watched Lucy just fall to the ground taking a seat on the dirt with Gray just watching, feeling helpless that there is nothing he can do to make her feel better except finding her keys.

"Somehow, they were able to block Natsu's enhanced sense of smell. And to explain just how good his nose is, he can smell someone's distinct scent from all over Magnolia, maybe even track you across Ishgar." Erza said aloud making Lucy's jaw drop at the sheer strength of it.

"How does that work exactly? does everything just smell stronger? or does he simply block out certain scents and focus on another?" Lucy asked as she stood up, deciding that the fate of the village and possibly even the world was more important than her lost keys. 'It's not that I'll never be able to find them again,' Lucy thought as she walked by Erza's side, in the direction of Natsu. 'It's that I won't have them right now,' Lucy concluded, refusing to give up hope 'because that's what mom would have told me to do.' Lucy thought as a tear rolled down her cheek unnoticed by present company.

"Does Natsu know which direction we are to go in, to save time, like meet up on the trail?" Gray asked curiously making Erza stop mid step without answering his question, making Gray assume she was currently contacting Natsu. When in fact, she remembered a finite detail they had forgotten.

"On the council request, they mentioned that there was a missing mage, possibly presumed dead or injured." Erza said aloud before turning to Gray, "Is there a chance that Lyon is currently torturing them for information? Or was this just a weird ploy from Ultear all along?" Erza asked, unsure of why they were even here in the first place. 'If Ultear faked the missing mage to increase the urgency of the mission if she is on the inside, why didn't she handle it herself, or simply prevent the quest from being handed out. I don't quite know what angle to react from.' Erza considered why Gray and Lucy realized that the current situation is so twisted and messed up that they didn't know what to do.

"So what's our priority here? Should we split up?" Gray asked as he ran his hand through his hair, having had not even attempted to strip yet, which made both Erza and Lucy very grateful.

'Hey, Erza, about how far away are you?' Natsu asked interrupting Erza's train of thought. as she was trying to make the decision on what they were to do.

'Not too far, if you begin to lose the scent just go, Happy should be able to follow you if he stays right?' Erza asks, before realizing just how stupid that sounded. 'Erza, you realize Happy is a cat right?' Natsu asks making Erza squeak in embarrassment over the lacrima link, completely surprising Natsu, not only at the fact that the lacrimas were capable of such a thing, but the fact that she actually made that sound.

'Right, I'm just going to pretend that never happened...' Natsu replied making Erza blush a pretty shade of red completely confusing Gray and Lucy as they continued to walk towards the supposed meeting area.

'Right, so you know the scent is still pretty strong, as I've been smelling the guy for a bit to memorize the scent,' making Erza internally cringe at the thought of having to smell people for an extended amount of time just to ensure you would be able to distinguish different scents. 'plus, I've found some tracks, the guy was pretty smart to hide downwind, but he wasn't able to sit completely silent.' Natsu replied making Erza file that small piece of knowledge away as they continued to walk forward, getting closer and closer to the rendezvous point.

"Do you really think there's a missing mage?" Lucy asked curiously as they continued to walk for what seemed like the 1000th time that day.

"Honestly, this mission has just gone down hill from the start. A simple demon extermination became this is under a day. Hopefully, Natsu is correct on how to break the curse so we don't have to worry about that." Erza said as they walked into the clearing where Natsu was sitting on the ground close to a man in boxers tied up and hand cuffed. Happy was currently walking across the ground, dressed in a very large robe with a hood that covered his little blue face.

"If you ask me, I think we should focus on getting rid of Deliora, and we'll find the mage if they even exist along the way," Natsu said as he begun to stand up before grabbing the hogtied man and putting him over his shoulder. Natsu answer to Lucy's question surprised her, as she hadn't expected him to be the one to give something close to a proper answer.

"How did you-" Lucy asked before cutting off, knowing the answer before she was even answered. Natsu just tapped his nose with a wink making Lucy cross her arms in amusement as Erza walked forward to inspect their captive still in Natsu's grasp.

Happy, instead of trying to walk towards them, decided to take flight. The robe was currently suspended in the air, with at least an inch of space between the ground and the hem. His whole tiny body only filled the hood of the robe, however, it somehow looked as if it was filled out, recreating the idea of a ghoul completely by accident.

"Natsu- Look, I'm a ghoooost!" Happy cheered, altering his voice to have that cliche fake vibrato a ghost would as he flew towards his surrogate father, making him turn and laugh as Gray and Lucy looked in astonishment, unsure how exactly he pulled the look of that well.

"Natsu, Happy, Focus!" Erza yelled as she stormed towards Happy before ripping off the robe and tossing it away, making Happy pout and fly behind his father. Erza had unintentionally thrown the robe towards Gray, who looked it over appraisingly before picking up and putting it on making Lucy roll her eyes in annoyment.

"Do you even know where that's been?" Lucy asked making Gray shrug before walking towards Erza and standing beside her, knowing that he is still on the chopping block due to his comment inside the encompassing flames.

"Natsu, lead the way," Erza commanded making him shrug as Happy flew onto his head before he started off into what seemed a random direction with the unknown man still on his shoulder. 'Sure, My shoulder might get a little sore from carrying him, but leaving him alone and tied up in a forest would just be rude.' Natsu thought as he leads the way, with Erza, Lucy, and Gray; who was still wearing the robe falling into step behind him.

"Just to be clear on the order of things," Gray's starts off as they walk towards the location of the enemy base, which seemed to be close to the temple, "First we stop Deliora's resurrection. Then we take all the dark mages into custody and see if the lost mage with no name is real. Then we break the curse?" Gray asked curiously because that was a lot of work without a lot of information to go off of. Especially since Ultear may be messing with things not only inside the council but within the mission as well.

"That is correct," Erza confirms as they come across what appears to be a completely empty clearing, in which Natsu sets down the hogtied man.

"Well, at least we know how the Villagers had no idea about what was going on..." Natsu said as he flexed his arms before looking to the sky to check the time. 'Shit, the sun should be going down soon, means they can start collecting moonlight.' Natsu thought as he looked around and across the clearing, his nose twitching as he attempted to pick up any other scents.

"How much time do you think it took to set up all these illusions," Lucy asked as she stepped into the clearing, curious if she would run into a wall or something, until Gray shot forward, grabbing her leather adorned arm, stopping her from taking any more steps, making her turn around in confusion. "What gives?" LUcy asks, stopping until Gray offers a reason as to why he stopped her.

"For them to take this much effort and caution to hide their whereabouts, who knows what type of traps are still in place. It will just be easier to let Natsu take care of it all." Gray said making Lucy nod in acceptance and step back into the forest line.

"Natsu, if you would," Erza said gesturing to Natsu who stepped into the clearing.

"One second, I'm trying to make sure nobody is in the building," Natsu replied as he closed his eyes focus on his hearing, as his nose was unable to catch any scent whatsoever, and after a few seconds, he hoped that his senses were right and that there was nobody inside. However, that is not a risk he could take.

"Here's hoping, this is the weakest spell I have that can disperse it..." Natsu said as he closed his eyes, focusing all of his magic into his right hand. He took a few steps forward before holding his hand out in front of him before opening his eyes.

" _HellFire Dragon's Heatwave,"_ Natsu said as his eyes turned a little black and a wave of scarlet black fire tore through the air, growing in size and it continued on, and after only a few seconds it stopped in mid air, only to begin growing in size, beginning to encompass what was hopefully the building hidden by illusion runes set up, since people were supposed to come and go. In only a few seconds a small wave of scarlet black fire, became a dome of fire, eating away at the illusion, and just like Natsu had hoped, by decreasing the strength and magic behind the flames, he ensured that anyone that may have been inside the building would not die from too much magic depletion. He was, however, surprised at how long it was taking for his _hellfire flames_ to consume the illusion.

The other Fairy Tail mages excluding Happy were a little surprised at first, at how Natsu thought such a small flame would be able to disperse the illusion. That is, until Gray and Erza remember just how terrifying it was to see and feel at just how easily they were sapping away their magic. Lucy, on the other hand, was astonished at the fact that a small wave of flames was able to grow as fast as it did, without any contact or control from Natsu whatsoever.

After a few more seconds Natsu begun to grow worried, especially since there was rumored to be a missing mage making his eyes shoot open, before he swun his arm to the side, completely dispelling the flames, shocking everyone present.

"Natsu! We need to get in there!" Erza yells as she storms forward making both Lucy and Gray cringe, having heard that tone before.

"Yes, and we don't know who, or what is powering it," Natsu replies through gritted teeth making Erza stop midstep, having never expected that the dark mages would be so cruel, and she hoped that they weren't, however, that is not a risk they could take.

"I see," Erza said as she looked at the large scorched circle on the ground in the clearing. "Any ideas?" Erza asked as she walked forward, approaching the circle before punching the barrier, hoping Natsu's flames had weakened the barrier, or the magic forming the barrier enough that even if they didn't drain its magic source, it would be brittle enough they could smash through. Unfortunately, the barrier still had a strong, and constant magic source and that allowed the _Hellfire Flames_ to constantly eat at the magic source, and it didn't touch the barrier spell at all.

"How did you simply wave the flames out of existence?" Lucy asked curiously, having had finally finished measuring the tension in the air and finding it safe to speak up. Happy, just laughed at Lucy before flying towards his father and sitting on his shoulder.

"Dragon Slayers are unable to consume their own flames, but, they are able to consume their element or realm to regain magic. All Dragon Slayers must have control over their magic or else it could run rampant and cause too much damage." Natsu replied as he too walked towards the barrier, prompting Gray and Lucy to inspect it as well.

"Why can't a dragon slayer eat their own magic? Wouldn't that make you invincible?" Lucy asked, not understanding how a magic could have such an irregular defect. She was currently touching the barrier, curious at what an invisible barrier would feel like.

Gray, however, was currently looking at the ground, evaluating the size and height, trying to find a way to get past the dome. 'There's definitely something back there, should we try and dig under it?' Gray thought curiously as he walked towards the barrier before running his hand down it, towards the ground, crouching as he went. This garnered the attention of Lucy, who was curious as to what was going through his head. Luckily for her, Gray was ready and able to give that information out.

"How deep do you think this barrier goes?" Gray asked curiously making Erza impressed and Natsu intrigued. 'He's right,' Erza thought, 'As far as we can tell, the illusion and barrier does not appear to be entrenched in the ground, however, perhaps that is part of the illusion?' Erza pondered as Natsu, Happy Gray and Lucy debated the pros and cons of digging a hole.

"Alright, let's think about this clearly," Erza said aloud stopping their discussion short. "We have a dragon slayer, a knight, and a maker mage. And our best idea is to dig a hole..." Erza trailed off making Happy laugh, Lucy upset since she can't even be included in the statement, and Gray embarrassed since he's the one who had the silly idea in the first place. Natsu was waiting for Erza to finish her sentence before making an overall judgment.

"So, how are we going to dig this hole," Erza said aloud as she requipped into a construction uniform making Happy stop laughing, slack-jawed at the fact she was going through with such an absurd idea, to a lazy cat anyway. Lucy was torn between being annoyed and depressed. Not even if she had her keys could she have been much use, so odds are she is going to be digging by hand, or end up doing nothing, again.

Gray was quite surprised his idea was taken seriously, however weird it may have sounded. The only question he had was if they had enough time to investigate the dark mages base before the sun went down, and by the looks of it, they would be hard pressed for time.

"I can make shovels?" Gray offers almost unhelpfully making both Lucy and Happy sigh while Natsu just shakes his head in a mixture of amusement and pity. Erza, however, beat Gray to the punch, having had requipped four new metal shovels, stabbing one into the ground for herself, before she begun handing them out, starting with Gray, then Lucy and then Natsu, who took it and stabbed it into the ground as well, making Erza quirk her eyebrow in confusion.

"Right, I think I can speed that process up just a little bit," Natsu said making Happy cheer in happiness, glad that he won't have to sit through hours upon hours of digging. Lucy was also grateful, just not as audibly, hoping that her friends wouldn't realize just how useless she felt.

"I am unsure whether that is a good idea. Should you not save your magical energy just in case Deliora get's released? If there were more time I would have agreed with you, however, the sun is past its apex and is the moon will come out soon..." Erza asked skeptically, grateful that they could have time to possibly find Lucy her keys before engaging in combat.

"Perhaps, but it shouldn't take too much power, and if you're really that worried you could maybe start a bonfire and I could top off?" Natsu asks hesitantly, not really looking forward to digging a hole, since it might not even work, and simply be a waste of not only time but energy as well, leaving them exhausted before a potentially large fight.

"You are beginning to tread a very thin line..." Erza trailed off making Gray and Lucy partially agree, since there is another option, but, the time saved could be important. That is if it would even work at all. "It's beginning to make me wonder how you complete Saint missions on your own, however, you are correct." Erza concedes with a sigh, making Happy cheer in excitement, glad to have a front row seat at whatever crazy idea Natsu has concocted.

"So, uh, you might want to step back again..." Natsu announces loudly, ensuring that everyone would have more than enough time to escape the blast zone. Happy had decided to sit on another tree branch, somehow taking having a fish in his hands, ready to watch the show about to unfold in front of them.

All of the other Fairy Tail mages present were curious at how destructive his spell would be, and whether Gray's crazy idea would actually work, allowing them to tunnel, or blast their way under the dome.

Natsu simply walked a few feet away from the dome, leaving more than enough space for him to not only get the spell off safely but for him to also angle it right, allowing him to either tunnel under the barrier, or at least try.

Natsu started channeling magic, causing a large fiery red magic circle to form in front of him. He started to gather all the magic energy into the magic circle, causing it to glow brighter and grow larger making both Gray and Erza worried that they would need to go through with the bonfire idea, simply due to the size of the magic circle alone.

Natsu took a deep breath in, closing his eyes as his chest began to expand to crazy heights, making all of his friends watch in a mix of disbelief and confusion, having never seen magic having that effect on someone. Then Erza remembered how Natsu took down the wind wall while they fought Eisenwald.

'I thought Natsu said he couldn't risk using the _Hellfire Flames_ because it would siphon too much magic off of the magic source,' Erza thought confusedly before deciding to just trust that Natsu knew what he was doing. Due to everyone's lack of pleasant interaction with Natsu, all but a small few have no idea just how large, or small his repertoire is.

Happy, on the other hand, was completely, and utterly excited, knowing exactly what his father was going to do, and loved it more than he thought he would. 'I rarely see Natsu use a magic circle that large...' Happy thought as he watched it expand to a diameter of at least a meter, 'But, I can't wait to see it blow the barrier down!' He thought excitedly, happily chowing down on his fish, that nobody knew where it came from.

" _Fire Dragon's ROAR!"_ Natsu yelled as he bent backward, his stomach expanding astronomically before he threw his head forward bringing his hands towards his face, before blowing out a large, fiery orange torrent of flames through the magic circle that was at least 3 meters in diameter.

Erza watched in a mixture of annoyance and shock, having never believed anyone, not even the 6th wizard saint would be able to blow that, much, fire. However, that just meant that she would have to actually start a fire just so that he would be able to replenish his magic container.

Lucy merely watched in shock, since Erza heavily suggested that he doesn't use too much magic, lest she has to start a fire just to replenish his container. So, either that is a low magic yielding attack, or he's just trying to show off. LUcy could only assume the latter from the sheer size of the roar, being taller than everyone present. 'Wait, did he want to not only make us a tunnel but let us able to just walk through?" She pondered for a second as she watched she watched the fire tear a huge hole in the ground. causing dust and dirt to fly in the air, making both Erza and herself shield their eyes with their arms.

Gray tried to focus, and figure out how Natsu was conserving magic while still digging a hole 3 meters in diameter, even going as far as to form goggles out of ice, just to see how the fire was interacting with the magic circle. He was surprised at how smart Natsu actually was, since the magic circle was just amplifying the torrent of flames, making it the monstrous size that it truly was.

Happy was purely estatic to see his father's magic in full force, even if this was a more basic spell. And, since he was further back than his guildmates he didn't have to worry about dirt messing up his meal.

Natsu kept blowing through the magic circle, being able to see through all the dust and dirt with his dragon senses and was surprised that Gray's idea was working, having had already dug through the ground with no interference. Natsu kept blowing for a few more seconds just to be sure that he dug under, before cutting off his magic, making the torrent stop and the magic circle to quickly disappear.

Both Lucy and Erza were still covering their eyes, waiting for the dust and debris to disperse into the air. Natsu, seeing his guildmates plight, quickly brought his hands together, in a swift, hard clap, forming a shockwave that blew the dust and dirt away.

"Alright, Gray, you're up!" Natsu said as he put his hands on his hips, making Gray just smirk.

" _Ice Make Floor!"_ Gray said as he slammed his hands on the ground, causing steam to rise in the air as Gray cooled down the forest floor, the ice spreading all the way through into the tunnel, causing it to be a tunnel supported by ice, ensuring their safety as they traversed into enemy territory.

The Fairy tail mages just stared in anticipation, until a random noise broke the silence. The grumbling of Natsu's stomach... Every turned simultaneously to look at the wizard saint, a mixture of amusement and disappointment.

"Maybe we could take a snack break?" Natsu asks almost hesitantly, causing Gray to burst out in laughter as both Erza and Lucy facepalmed in disbelief. 'The sixth wizard saint gets hungry on a life or death mission, either he's used to the stakes or has no control over his stomach' Lucy thought as Happy cheered excitedly, proving his name, gleeful to have more time to consume his precious fish.

"Well, I suppose it is about time we take a short breather," Erza said aloud making everyone, excluding Gray cheer, glad that they will have even a short break from all this walking and running.

* * *

This is everyone that is in the harem. Final list.

 **The girls in bold are ones that I can write in as being trapped on Galuna island, having attempted to break the curse and running into Lyon and Ultear and getting trapped. Let me know which of the 5 you think I should write in!**

1\. Milliana

 **2\. Kagura Mikazuchi**

3\. Sherry Blendy

4\. Lucy Heartfilia

5\. Ikaruga Ryu

 **6\. Wendy Marvell**

7\. Erza Scarlet

8\. Sayla

9\. Kyoka

10\. Sorano Agria

 **11\. Yukino Agria**

12\. Meredy

13\. Ultear Milkovich

14\. Brandish Myu

15\. Dimaria Yestia

16\. Hisui E Fiore

17\. Irene B

18\. Juvia Loxar

19\. Lisanna Strauss

 **20\. Minerva O**

 **21\. Jenny Realight**

22\. Mirajane Strauss

23\. Cana Alberona

24\. Ur Milkovich

25\. Celestial Spirits

\- Aquarius

-Libra

 _-_ Opichius

-Aries (MAYBE)

-Virgo (MAYBE)

* * *

And Onto the Reviews

Guest 1 from Chapter 18- For a harem, as far as I am aware, The "Main man" or woman of the harem has to be in a form of relationship with the women or men in the harem. Whether that relationship is marital, romantic, sexual, etc. I will not promise that Natsu will marry all 24 women plus Celestial spirits, as I am not even sure they can get bound to another person or spirit other than their "master" for lack of a better word, currently at least.

Guest 2 from Chapter 18- Thanks! I do my best to try and put out a great chapter for all of you, while hopefully using a word you are either unfamiliar with or haven't even seen before. Does that happen, probably not, but that is my goal when I write because it also exercises my vocabulary as well. I do have a few ideas on how to save Ur, but I'm not sure whether it would have to be a resurrection spell or just a large scale healing spell. Let me know in a review which you think it should be.

Guest 3 from Chapter 18- Thanks for that idea, I'll be sure to do just that, and instead of saying thanks to Guest 3, want a name on that?

I already replied to the laughingStalkIsWokeAsF, but, I think I should address why I put Miki Chikentiger in the tags. I notice, that in a lot of other fanfics, as good as they are, they mainly focus on the main characters and the ones that are in each individual arc. My goal is to try and not forget any of the characters, discluding the manga pages with other members listed. Characters like Laki, or Miki, or even Vijeteer and Reedus will have a part to play, within reason. Because You won't see Vijeteer going to fight the Oracion Seis or Jellal...

* * *

I'm trying to decide whether Team Natsu (Not yet named, but you know who they are) should run into an OC on Galuna Island, or one of the harem girls, introducing them to the story earlier than in canon. Let me know what you think, any and all ideas will be considered and thought over!

Sorry this chapter isn't longer, but I really wanted to see what you think I should do with that.^^^


	20. The Hunt

I _could_ tell you which girl I chose, but, why don't wait and see? And onto the story! All credits go to Natsuharemlover as to why I made my final decision, thanks for your review!

* * *

"So, uh, I don't suppose one of you two has some food in your magic space... Right?" Lucy asked both Natsu and Erza curiously as they all stood around, nobody moving or saying anything since Natsu's impromptu interruption of their mission. Gray looked between the two, curious as to who is faster since it is Erza's main magic, while it is Natsu's side magic.

Both of them Looked at each other, seeing as to who would make the first move, before deciding to do just what everyone was thinking. They walked towards each other the short distance they were apart before stopping a foot away from each other, just looking the other in the eyes. They continued to stare, it was beginning to put onlookers at unease, including Happy, who only saw people do that, when they were about to kiss... 'They aren't going to kiss are they?! Isn't Natsu with Mira...' Happy thought confusedly as he watched his father and the Titania continue to stare at each other, curious as to who would back down first.

The onlookers began to grow annoyed and confused, as they watched the two senior mages continue a staring contest, for hours on end.

"Come on Lucy, Happy, let's go grab some firewood and see if we can get some game on a spit roast," Gray said aloud as he gestured to Lucy to join him on a hunt in the woods, forming a spear out of ice in his hands, before giving it to Lucy and forming his own.

"Are you sure? What if Erza gets mad that we left without her giving us permission?" Lucy timidly asks making Happy laugh in amusement at her fear of Erza while Gray just sighed in annoyance.

"Lucy, we are here as partners, not as slaves. Erza is the senior mage, not our master. Are you trying to tell me, that you would rather watch two extremely stubborn people try to outlast each other in what could be the most uninteresting competition? Also known as a staring contest." Gray said aloud, making Lucy look at him weirdly, never expecting the logic of a man with an uncontrollable stripping problem to be able to form such sound logic.

"Well come on, Happy, you coming?" Gray asked as he and Lucy stood side by side, looking like quite the intimidating pair, with her almost looking like an Amazon while Gray looked like an experienced fighter.

"Nah, it's getting pretty funny anyway!" Happy chortled as he watched his father and the Titania locked in a staring contest. Lucy was curious as to what the sadistic cat found so hilarious until she looked closer and noticed that Erza's left eye started twitching while Natsu was still perfectly fine, probably because his eyes were enhanced with his Dragonslaying magic.

"Suit yourself," Gray declared as he exited the clearing into the brush, with Lucy in tow. She looked back at the two S-Class Mages, checking to see if they had finished all this craziness before completely entering the rough, leaving Happy alone with the two S-Class mages.

They continued staring each other in the face, neither blinking, but Erza's eye started to twitch even more, which only increased when a butterfly flew in, and landed on Erza's nose. It gracefully stood there, perched upon Erza's flawless nose, blocking part of their line of sight. They continued on like this, barely keeping eye contact as the butterfly settled on Erza's nose, causing her twitching to increase until she finally lost control, and sneezed, right into Natsu's face.

Luckily, somehow, there was no mess as an intricate scaled mask that looked similar to the cowl of Erza's Lizard Queen Armor, formed completely out of fire appeared in front of his face, startling Erza at his quick reaction, almost as if he knew she was going to sneeze. His reaction was fortunate for everyone but the butterfly, who died instantly upon impact with a hard fire "wall". The butterfly slowly fell down towards the ground, it's large, once beautiful wings slowing its fall as it traveled to its grave.

Erzza blinked as Natsu stared at her in amusement, her face beginning to erupt in a harsh in a pure, deep scarlet. Erza was too embarrassed to say a word or make a sound whatsoever, as she followed the butterfly's descent with her eyes, too ashamed to look at Natsu at all, let alone in the eyes.

It took only a few mere seconds for the butterflies crumpled body to land on the ground, gravity having finally taken its course as it guided this precious creature's broken form to the ground. The silence broke as you could hear the sounds of Happy trying his gosh darn hardest to quell his laughter, trying to see who would back up first, who would break the silence.

Natsu stared amusedly at Erza, who was growing bored staring at the butterfly, who was starting to be slightly blown around from the breeze, before being completely carried away from breeze, leaving her nothing to look at as he hair begun to flow in the wind, however unfortunately not taking her away with the butterfly away from this awkward silence.

They continued to stand a foot apart, basking in the silence as Happy had decided to wrap his bag around his mouth to subdue his snickers. Erza's hair continued to flow with the breeze as she literally looked everywhere but at Natsu, too embarrassed to even look at him since she couldn't even control some of the most basic bodily functions. 'I am a revered S-Class mage known all through out Ishgar for my control and strength, and I can't even stop a sneeze.' Erza lamented as the silence bore on, becoming more and more unbearable by the second.

Natsu, having finally decided to take pity upon Erza, understanding just how embarrassing it could be when your body decides to take control, affecting how you're able to act simply due to an itch or from feeling hungry. 'As cute as that was, I am more than certain the setting made it quite embarrassing. And if there's one thing Gildarts taught me about women, is to let them feel comfortable. A nervous woman is a dangerous woman' Natsu recanted as he watched Erza begin to fidget with the hem of her skirt. 'Alright, that's enough,' Natsu thought as he opened his mouth, knowing exactly what he should break the silence with.

"Ya know, I heard Gray say that he and Lucy are going to do some hunting, apparently they are too impatient to wait a few seconds," Natsu said aloud, allowing Erza's focus to shift away from her untimely bodily functions onto the situation at hand.

'Anyone else would have laughed in amusement, or moaned in disgust. But Natsu did neither, he just... let it slide.' Erza thought in confusion as she looked up at Natsu for the first time in the last few minutes, almost as if seeing him a little differently as a warm sensation known as _Appreciation_ bloomed in her chest due to his treatment of the situation.

"Plus, from the looks of it, we have about an hour or so until the moon comes out..." Natsu hinted making Erza's eyebrows shoot up in in an uneven mixture of shock and confusion, before a small grin grew on her face, catching onto what he was hinting at. 'So... does he intend for us to hunt them down, or simply show them up?' Erza pondered as Natsu walked towards Happy before untying his green bag from around his mouth, apparently Happy had tied his nose off while attempting to soften his snickers, knocking him into sweet, sweet unconsciousness.

Natsu requipped a dark maroon cloth, before trying it around his torso into a carrier for Happy, so that he would be able to function with all of his appendages without having to worry about Happy getting lost or injured during their little "escapade".

Turning back to Erza, he noticed that she was just standing there staring at him weirdly, perhaps noticing how much Happy's wrap looked like a baby cradle? 'This isn't some sort of strawberry withdrawal symptom, is it?' Natsu thought curiously as he watched Erza for any signs of withdrawal, actually contemplating the legitimacy of his absurd hypothesis. Luckily for Natsu, he didn't have to think long as Erza walked towards him, curious as to his intentions regarding their teammates.

"I do admit, I am curious as to whether you intend to hunt down Lucy and Gray, or to catch more than them..." Erza said as she walked towards Natsu making him smile, emphasizing his oversized canine's that glinted in the falling sun.

"Both," Natsu replied making a purple aura surrounding her as she requipped back into the _Armor of The Lizard Queen,_ more than prepared to hunt Gray or Lucy down and kill their target before they can even touch it. 'However, I shall watch the falling of the sun, just so we don't waste too much time for this food break.' Erza decided resolutely, more than prepared to hunt her guildmates down if need be.

"Well then, let's get started, shall we?" Natsu said aloud as he requipped away his usual attire for his hunting gear. He was now currently wearing full body green armor, that appeared to be made out of some form of scales with a hood. He had a brown leather harness wrapped around his torso, seemingly for appearance alone as nothing was held on it at all. He had a holster on his leg, holding an intricate black knife, with a red dragon handle with the head of the guard, wings as the grip, and tail as the pommel. His boots were the same, as he pulled the hood over his head, covering his distinctive hair as Happy lied comfortably against his back. 'At first, I was surprised that Natsu could full body requip, but he is fairly slow... Nowhere near combat speed' Erza thought as she watched him requip into hunting gear.

"Is there someone, in particular that we are to target, or simply go after the first one we find. I am quite unfamiliar with this sort of exercise" Erza told Natsu seriously, making him sweatdrop. 'We are just hunting down two people, why is she making this so complicated?" Natsu thought internally as he shook his head. "Nope, find who you can, because I'm going to catch us some food and start it on a spit before I have my fun," Natsu said as he reached his arms above his head, stretching his joints before this little bit of exercise.

"Fair enough, I trust that you can ensure the spit will cause no harm to the ecosystem and life around us?" Erza asked as she requipped two forearm length daggers that looked like a snake's fang, as she looked him straight in the eye.

"Come on, when have I ever lost control?" Natsu asked rhetorically making Era roll her eyes before she disappeared in the blink of an eye, invisible to the human eye as she stalked into the brush, prepared and excited to work out some of her anger and stress through the enjoyment of hunting. 'This is my first time hunting,' Erza thought as she swiftly climbed a tree, leaving no gouges or markings on the trunk during her ascent. it only took one last second before she was crouching upon the highest branch, searching through the whole forested area, searching for any broken branches or footprints in the forest floor, any sort of hints or clues as to where their guildmates may have trailed off to.

 **TimeSkip of half an hour to Lucy and Gray's PoV**

"So, what exactly are we hunting for right now," Lucy asked as she and Gray stalked through the wooded forest, weird and colorful leaves having fallen, decorating the same ground they are walking on.

"I... Uh... Actually, don't know, I was hoping that we would have found something by now." Gray said aloud as they stopped beside a tree, looking up, curious as to where all the wildlife should have been.

"Are you sure there is even anything here?" Lucy asked as she slumped against the tree, tired of trying to find some game as they climbed over roots and trees, trying to ward away insects other creatures from eating them as they looked for lunch.

"I would have thought that the villagers collected food from the area, instead of farming," Gray said as he sat on the other side of the tree, tired from all of the exhaustion of the day.

"We're not eating today are we..." Lucy sighed as she looked at her feet, more disappointed than sad at how the day seems to just get worse and worse, and by this rate, Deliora will probably get released.

"Hey, um... Gray, Is Deliora really that bad?" Lucy asked quietly making Gray sigh, having had expected more questions like this, especially since that is the underlining stress of the whole day.

"Lucy... I think... Deliora is stronger than Master. I cannot say this confidently, however, the statement still stands. I can only hope Natsu can handle him if push comes to shove, but." Gray said softly but surely as he looked at the sky, not finishing as he hoped with his whole being that it didn't get that far.

"Whatever, let's get back so we can get this show on the road, Erza's probably mad by now," Gray said as he stood up, brushing off his pants before walking to the exit, completely unaware that he was being watched.

'Is that what people really think of me? Am I seriously just a temperamental bitch who get's pissed off by everything?' Erza thought morosely as she watched Lucy and Gray turn around, and begin to head back to the clearing, disappointed at their failure, but too tired to feel bad about it.

"Erza, you clearly didn't understand what I meant by "hunt them"," Natsu said aloud as he stepped out from behind the exact tree Lucy and Gray were resting on, completely freaking both of them out.

"When- How did you?" Gray rambled, unable to comprehend that he wasn't able to hear, or notice Natsu either sneak up on them or simply stand there unseen for any period of time.

"Wait, did you say Erza?! And when did you change?" Lucy screamed as she fell on her shapely bottom in shock, surprised that not only Natsu but apparently Erza snuck up on them as well, and they would have been none the wiser. 'I am so glad I'm a Fairy Tail mage, because I would not want to be their enemy.' Lucy thought as she looked up at Natsu, who was walking towards her before extending a hand to help her up.

"Hey, that was pretty funny, scaring us by pretending Erza is here. But, don't do that again, you almost gave me a heart attack." Gray said as he walked towards Natsu, extending a hand as a sign of peace. Both Lucy and Natsu looked at Gray in a mix of pity and annoyance. 'Like, I know a lot of them are scared of Erza, but this is just getting rude..." Natsu thought as he looked Erza in the eyes, gauging her reaction to his comment.

'I can't believe he would say that. I'm beginning to understand that there is some underlying feelings among a lot of members.' Lucy thought as she looked around for Erza, amazed that even when she actively knew of Erza's proximity she was unable to find her.

'Am I honestly that frightening? Has being everyone's guide and protector made me so unapproachable that my mere presence alone can force someone into cardiac arrest?' Erza considered, completely missing the joke in his statement.

"Erza's not honestly here, right?" Gray asked, noticing Lucy looking around, while Natsu stared at one specific spot, making him begin to worry as he tried to see her until he realized she had that armor on earlier today, that gave her camouflage.

"Riiight, let's just go, I got a boar on a spit. Meet us there Erza..." Natsu said as he turned around, before walking back to the clearing as Lucy stared disappointedly at Gray, before shaking her head and following Natsu, glad that he was at least able to get some food.

'Shiiiiit! She might actually be here!' Gray thought hysterically as he looked around, before staring at the exact same spot Natsu was and finding absolutely nothing! 'Damn, must be nice to be an all-powerful Dragon Slayer." Gray thought sarcastically as he followed Natsu and Lucy a few feet behind.

"Wait! Where's Happy?" Lucy asked curiously as she walked by Natsu's side, sporadically looking, hoping to see a glimpse of the Titania. Gray was still walking behind them, trying to ignore the fact that if Erza was really there, that only spells certain doom for him after all of this is said and done.

"Ahhh, the little guy's right here. Passed out from trying not to laugh, and honestly, it's a lot easier to hunt when he's quiet." Natsu said with a wink towards Lucy making her smile as they continued to get closer to the clearing, a waft of roasted boar carried along the breeze, making everyone present salivate.

"Whatever that is, smells delicious," Gray said aloud as he attempted to rip off his shirt, the stress of whether Erza was, or wasn't there really getting to him. That was, until that blasted alarm went off, making Happy jump in fright from the wrap on Natsu's back.

Fortunately for Happy, while Natsu or Lucy was unable to catch him from falling to the ground, Erza was more than prepared, having seen Gray grabbing at his shirt, before walking forward, more than aware at how Happy woke up from a loud noise from when Mira watched him at the bar.

Gray watched in a mixture of shock and dread as he watched Erza jump out of nowhere and catch Happy from falling to the ground. Lucy, on the other hand, didn't recognize this mysterious but admittedly attractive figure catch Happy, which she was grateful for, but she was worried about that they would try to kidnap him.

"Wha- Where am I?" Happy asked drearily as he rubbed at his eyes with his cute little hands. He opened his eyes before they shot open seeing what was holding him. 'Who is she? SHE HAS NO FACE!' Happy thought hysterically as he began to struggle as she held him to her midsection as she pulled the mask off her face, showing Erza, making Happy stop struggling as he recognized who it was.

"Um- Hi?" Happy asked cutely as he waved up at Erza, making her smile before she walked towards Natsu and handed Happy to him.

"Please refrain from allowing your friend and only child to fall to the ground," Erza said stoically as she winked at Natsu who accepted Happy gratefully who put the confused cat on his shoulder.

"I take it that smell is from the boar you have on the spit?" Erza asked as she walked in step with Lucy and Natsu, with Gray in the back, hesitant to get closer, unaware as to how much she heard.

"Wait, so you're saying that this guy right here, made whatever it is we can smell right now?" Gray asked skeptically, doubting that Natsu is actually capable of doing anything other than torching food into a charred mess.

"That, or there's a really strong wind coming from the village," Natsu said, not really caring what Gray thought since they have to eat anyway. It only took a few more minutes of walking until they reached the clearing, and they were more than shocked by the sight that greeted them as they entered the clearing.

On the edge of the clearing opposite to them, there is skinned fur on the ground, a butchered boar on the spit, being held up by metal braces with a turning handle settled over a large campfire that was indented into the ground, to help prevent the fire from spreading.

"Natsuuuu~ Where's my fish," Happy moaned from upon Natsu's shoulder as he walked towards the spit before giving the boar a little turn, to ensure it cooked evenly and perfectly. Upon closer inspection, under the boar attached to the braces was a pot of boiling liquid, catching the drippings from boar, making some sort of sauce for the meat.

"Wait, that isn't... How did you?!-" Lucy said in shock as she looked at Natsu, surprised at how he could find, kill and prepare a boar in half an hour! Not to mention the fact that he then found them and Erza, and might even have a fish stashed away somewhere.

It seemed that Lucy's guess may have been true, because after Natsu finished checking that the boar was cooking right, he walked towards the fur on the ground before poking, seeing how close it was to being dried out, before he picked it up showing a few fish underneath, to which he gestured to Happy in a 'have at it' manner.

Even Gray was impressed, knowing he himself would have never been able to, and wasn't able to do the same, even if he tried. He was, however, curious as to how he did this all in such a short amount of time. The only question now was would they have enough time to finish it before they had to continue with the mission.

"Natsu, if we return to the village and I hear one thing, about missing food, we will have a stern talking to. Otherwise, good work." Erza said as she requipped some plates and utensils before handing them out, before giving a serving knife to Natsu.

"Gildarts may not be the worlds best father, especially regarding women, but he literally lives off of the area around him, instead of paying for hotels or food at a restaurant. He's taught me a lot, I'm just glad to have him." Natsu said as he cut the boar into portions, telling them a little more about himself while answering Lucy's question all in one fell swoop.

Every Fairy Tail mage except Happy, who was enjoying his pile of fish, walked up to Natsu with their plates out, each of them gratefully accepting their fresh cooked meal with grace, as he put some meat on each of their plates, before sitting around the fire eating in companionable silence.

"Sorry, I tried to find some vegetables but I didn't have as much luck," Natsu said as he sat down himself, having had cut his own portion of food before sitting down. Due to lack of conversation and variety of food, the Fairy Tail mages quickly finished their meal, before they begun packing up.

"Alright, we've had food, now I expect that nobody is to ask or complain about not stopping, as we have lost any leeway and are running short on time. Gray, come with me, Lucy, you go with Natsu, let's split up and search the hideout before we meet up in an hour, sharp." Erza commanded as she stood up, requipping away the plates that were cleaned with melted ice before walking into the tunnel leading into the hideout.

"Cmon Luce, she's right. Coming Happy?" Natsu said as he followed Erza into the unknown with an excited Happy and a nervous Lucy in tow, leaving Gray standing alone, staring at the sky and cursing Mavis's name.

'DAMN IT!' Gray thought as he slowly made his way into the hideout, feeling that this is more than enough of a chance for Erza to get back at him and that just left him more stressed than he already was. Impressive.

* * *

This is everyone that is in the harem. Final list.

1\. Milliana

2\. Kagura Mikazuchi

3\. Sherry Blendy

4\. Lucy Heartfilia

5\. Ikaruga Ryu

6\. Wendy Marvell

7\. Erza Scarlet

8\. Sayla

9\. Kyoka

10\. Sorano Agria

11\. Yukino Agria

12\. Meredy

13\. Ultear Milkovich

14\. Brandish Myu

15\. Dimaria Yestia

16\. Hisui E Fiore

17\. Irene B

18\. Juvia Loxar

19\. Lisanna Strauss

20\. Minerva O

21\. Jenny Realight

22\. Mirajane Strauss

23\. Cana Alberona

24\. Ur Milkovich

25\. Celestial Spirits

\- Aquarius

-Libra

 _-_ Opichius

-Aries (MAYBE)

-Virgo (MAYBE)

* * *

And onto the reviews

Narsuharemlover- Thanks for your review! I really appreciate your review, which completely made me change my mind while allowing me to be one step closeron another harem girl as well! About the Daphne arc, I kind of get what you're saying, but, not to the full extent you are intending. In this AU, Laxus sees Natsu as his brother, So after mine own rendition of the Daphne arc, That is the Catalyst for the Battle For Fairy Tail. I hope to be able to write out all the flaws that you see in the Daphne arc, but, I feel that simply being ungrateful for someone's good deeds, is not enough to start what is essentially a civil war inside the guild.

* * *

I just want to say sorry for not getting into that, I was stuck on writing what was in there, whether it was simply a camp ground or an old abandoned building that was used by the followers from the Moon Temple. Add onto the fact that I had a break in at work, blah.


	21. A Ghost in the Flesh?

I know some people hate a lot of the notes and what not. I just want to say **Thank you, from the bottom of my heart** to all of you who take the time to read my work/story/piece-of-crap every time I upload. I never knew I could write let alone over twenty chapters. So thank you for being so inspiring and encouraging.

* * *

And onto the story.

Erza slowly walked into the tunnel, surprised to some of the ice still standing, ignoring the large puddle of melted ice at the lowest part of the tunnel. 'I am unsure whether that is quite necessary... Perhaps he wanted to ensure that the tunnel cooled.' She pondered as she leads the way through the tunnel into unknown territory.

After taking a few more steps, she was surprised to see a steep incline in the tunnel, making her curious as to how he controlled the torrent of flames into behind in such a way. 'To not only be able to put out a torrent of flames like that, but to be able to bend and control it in such a way is quite astonishing, I never knew someone could have so much control over flames like that...' Erza acknowledged as she begun to walk up the incline.

Natsu and Lucy were walking side by side, a few seconds behind Erza. Lucy was looking around almost frantically, glad to see some of the ice still supporting what could very easily be unstable ground above them. Luckily, Gray also noticed the issue as once he walked into the tunnel, mine supports made completely out of solid, dense ice begun to form, going all the way down the tunnel.

Four by four post's formed completely out of dense ice quickly begun to line the wall in periodic intervals as another beam was held on top, holding the ceiling up preventing a cave in.

"Thanks Gray!" Lucy said appreciatively as she begun to walk up the incline of the tunnel, curious and astonished that Natsu was capable of doing such a thing with a torrent of flames coming from his mouth over two meters in diameter. Both Natsu and Happy were walking quietly by her side as they walked up the incline, trying to make as little noise as possible due to the fact they had no idea whether anyone was inside the hideout. Lucy was saying a quick prayer to her mother internally, praying that lady luck was on her side.

It only took a few more seconds for them to completely exit the tunnel, and they weren't that surprised to see an old stone building covered in moss and other growth, most likely due to the sheer age of the temple, making the Fairy Tail mages curious as to why the villagers either didn't know it was there, or conveniently forgot to mention it or the existence of the temple.

"Am I the only one confused as to why the villagers forgot to mention all of this?" Gray asked curiously as he exited the tunnel behind the rest of his guildmates, staring at the size of the old building, and curious as to where they were powering the barrier from.

"I agree with you," Lucy said as she stood there, waiting for someone else to make the first move, "They've lived here their whole lives, had children here, and somehow, never knew this was here?" Lucy asked skeptically, not believing that for one second.

"Lucy, you have to understand, sometimes, there are strict rules in villages like these. Simple tradition or even fear of the outside prevents villagers from leaving their home, or they face punishment or even banishment." Erza explained as she surveyed the area, looking for any pitfalls or trip wires that they could possibly trigger on their way to the entrance of the building.

"They wouldn't be as elaborate or paranoid as to place traps in their own hideout, right?" Lucy asked as she noticed Erza carefully inspecting the ground in front of them before she gawked at the beautiful engravings and design of the amazingly well-kept building.

"That's why we're splitting up into equal as possible pairings of two, therefore we all equally have the same chance at dealing with any conflict or issue," Erza explained as she bent over before picking up a rock, her skirt barely long enough to keep her decent as she stood up before throwing the rock at the ground, making almost nothing happen as she just nodded her head as if she expected that to happen and was simply confirming a hypothesis.

"Come on Gray, let's go. Lucy, make sure that Natsu doesn't get side tracked." Erza said as she walked towards what appeared to be the entrance of the dark mages hideout with Gray in tow, hiding a smirk at Natsu's misfortune.

Both Lucy and Happy laughed aloud as Natsu gawked at Erza's retreating figure, probably hoping that he had at least earned some form of respect or at least trust from her, but, apparently not.

"Well, come on then Natsu, looks like I'm in charge. Let's get going, and don't hold me back." Lucy announced as she pretty much just strutted forward in that leather armor which made her even more alluring, continuing the joke and making fun of Natsu, who was gawking at the second woman of the day, and neither of them was his girlfriend. 'Man, what is up with me today. I got to focus.' Natsu thought decisively as he ignored the laughing sadistic ball of glee on his shoulder as he followed the rest of his guildmates into enemy territory.

As Natsu got closer to the surprisingly well-preserved building, in comparison to the temple at least, he noticed that the markings on the wall were remarkably similar to that of the temple, making him realize that these were probably the barracks that the temple creators/ protectors stayed in. 'How was none of this ever documented? This temple must be at least over three hundred years old! How does nobody know about this, and how has only this small handful of dark mages found it.' Natsu considered as he examined the assumed barracks. 'The one thing I don't get, is that the temple has something to do with the moon drip right? So how did they have time to make everything to intricate. The more we see it seems more like either cultist or priests. And neither of those makes it any better...' Natsu thought as he approached his friends who for some reason stopped at the door, not even bothering to attempt and open it.

"Well, come on now _Dragon Slayer_ make sure it's safe for us, there better be no traps or nothing," Gray commented tauntingly as he leaned up against the wall, clearing the way so that Natsu had complete access to the door. Erza was simply standing to the right in front of the door, waiting for Natsu to inspect it before doing anything.

Natsu simply rolled his eyes as he approached what appeared to be a thick stone door. He closed his eyes as he rose his left hand in the air, signaling for everyone to be quiet as he listened and smelled around, carefully examining every square inch of the door. Deciding not to take any chances, he lit his index finger with the _HellFire Flames_ before he touched the large moon engraved on the middle of the door. The flames began to grow and spread on the door, before it completely encompassed the whole door, even spreading to the other side of the door. After a few seconds Natsu simply cut off any magic to the flames, because if it were consuming a spell it would stay active, otherwise, it would die out.

'Looks like these dark mages aren't even half as paranoid as I thought...' Natsu realized as he watched the hellfire flames die out. All Fairy Tail mages except Happy were confused as the flames consumed the whole door itself, instead of just one side of it alone.

"Well, who wants to be the first to walk through the door," Natsu asked aloud as he pressed the moon in the middle of the door, making it shake before it was slowly brought upwards into the small alcove above it before being sealed up completely.

"Well now, lady's first," Natsu announced as he bowed over with a gracious gesture towards the women, making Happy laugh as Lucy shook her head before releasing Happy entering first, completely confident in Natsu's senses. Her quick actions surprising almost everyone present at her confidence while having basically no access to her magic whatsoever.

"Hey, uh, Lucy, you sure you should-" Gray started off, having seen her begin to walk forward before she completely crossed the threshold and cutting off his statement, seeing no point since he can't stop her now. Erza simply watched with a quirked brow as Lucy let go of Happy before entering, proud to see her friend grow even so little in such a short amount of time. After Lucy crossed the threshold Erza quickly followed Lucy as Happy flew over to Natsu.

"You know, I'm kind of upset Erza didn't put me in a team..." Happy said despondently as he reached his father with Gray in ear shot. The maker mage simply laughed as he followed his current partner into the barracks with the two best friends behind him.

"Eh, check with Erza, she's planning this all today and I'd rather make it home tonight, so..." Natsu said with a wink towards his son who just gaped in astonishment, never having thought Natsu would make him go with Erza and Gray of all people if so asked.

When Natsu walked into the surprisingly well kept old building, he was surprised to see actual furniture and light lacrimas spread around the room. it was a mixture of fancy and rustic, with a few pelts scattered across the ground, with the heads mounted on the wall. There was a set of armor from completely different eras on each side of the door. The one on the left side seemed to be a more traditional samurai armor complete with sword and helmet. The hardened leather of the armor was a deep red but was in completely pristine condition. The set of armor on the right side seemed to be more of a medieval priest style, complete with a red cross on the torso of the armor. The metal gauntleted hands both held the sword as the tip rested on the ground. There were no signs of rust at all on the chainmail whatsoever.

The floors were a white polished marble which only further flaunted the sheer superiority the owner was clearly trying to impress upon any visitors or otherwise. There were metal tables with black granite table tops on the edges of the room, with a fancy martini bar at the side complete with a fully stocked alcohol cooling lacrima beside it, showing that they somehow had shipments of food and anything in between without the villagers noticing, making it much more suspicious, if that was even possible, almost confirming that the villagers lied about it, ommisively or actively was the question at hand.

There were old rustic paintings of different scenery and battles spread across the wall all around the room. The frames were of different types of woods, some were cherry or oak, some were pine or mahogany.

There were exactly three solid wood doors at the back of what seemed to be the cafeteria that leads to different areas, making Erza sigh in annoyance, her plan seems to be incapable of properly handling the situation while being safe for every mage present.

"So, uh, what are we going to do now?" Gray asked curiously, being the first one to break the silence, the others still enraptured in taking in all the sights. Natsu was the first to move from his spot he got in from when he entered the room. He quickly made his way across the room towards the doors, being careful to focus on his senses, hoping he would be able to tell if there were anyone here, knowing they had a history of blocking his senses.

Lucy, who was interested in the art and decor of the room, approached the assorted art work, approached the stunning piece closest to her on the right, carefully taking each step to ensure that there were no pressure plates or magic circles on the floor, but, of course nobody inspected the light lacrima balls spread across the room in chandeliers, especially what appeared to be a burnt out lacrima bulb. As she got closer to the painting, she realized it was a painting of a ruined, torn down building, with fires ravaging the burnt and broken city around it. As she got closer she realized there was a metal engraved plaque at the bottom of the frame, displaying what the artist titled the work. It was entitled " _The Fall of Brago",_ which for some reason sounded familiar to Lucy, but, she put it in the back of her mind in an attempt to not get side tracked.

Erza simply stood with Gray at her side, not by choice, of course. They were patiently waiting, trying to be as silent as possible, hoping Natsu would be able to hear a heart beat or at least the sound of breathing, hoping if possible they would be able to not only rescue the possible mage, but recruit them into helping as well.

Happy was quietly flying around, looking at all of the animal busts mounted on the wall, in a mix of horror and disgust, obviously due to being an animal himself.

After another minute of silence, Natsu finally opened his eyes, prompting everyone to approach him, full of hope and curiosity.

"Right, me and Lucy will take the right door, Erza and Gray, left door if you please. And who will get Happy's help?" Natsu asked as he looked Erza in the eye, who just cocked her hip, thinking as to who would happy's flight benefit most.

After a few seconds of thinking, Erza quickly realized who exactly what were to happen if you put Happy and Lucy together, again.

"He'll come with us," Erza answered as she approached the left door, ignoring the laughter from Lucy as Happy feigned fainting, falling to the ground onto the cured bear pelt making Gray hide a laugh behind a cough as Natsu simply smiled.

Of course, Erza didn't appreciate his rude reaction and decided to use fear instead of force, which were her two usual tactics. She used her _Telekinesis_ to move the bear pelt Happy was still playing dead on, making it stand up upon its arms. Natsu, catching onto the prank, lit the bear bust's eyes on fire as Erza used her telekinesis to take it off the wall and make it float in the air, making it look as if it were haunted as Natsu coughed into his arm and roared, making Happy scream in fright as he flew using max speed out of the room and into the tunnel outside.

It was completely, and utterly silent, for exactly six seconds, before everyone including Erza burst out in varying degrees of laughter. Natsu had fallen on the ground, holding his midsection as he laughed his ass off unable to contain himself. Gray was barely able to keep himself on his feet as he bent over, almost choking in laughter. Lucy was in the same joyful predicament as Happy, glad to finally see the sadistic cat on the butt end of the joke, finally feeling a semblance of revenge for all of his relentless taunting.

Surprisingly, Erza was actually laughing, admittedly nowhere near as hard as her guild mates, but she was actually laughing, a striking change from her usual stoic facade. Her voice, finally free from her cold, harsh tone was free to be itself, finally free from the usual anger or sadness. 'It's... beautiful...' Natsu thought as he heard Erza free from stress and worry as she lost control of stoic her facade for even the shortest of time periods, finally allowing herself to actually enjoy life instead of being caught up in the memories and pain of the past, that cause her to strive to protect not only herself but, the people around her as well.

It took five minutes for Happy to stop being a literal scaredy cat and to face the music. He slowly flew to the door, frantically looking around, having already expected a temple containing such a dangerous demon to be haunted, just simply being caught unprepared. He slowly stuck his head out from the right side of the door way, looking around for any sign of the haunted bear pelt, and was more than shocked to see Erza, of all people, actually laughing. This, however, only increased his fear, as he was afraid that the demon's soul had possessed Erza as well.

Happy quickly darted into cover outside of the doorway, unsure if they would survive a possessed Erza. After a few more minutes of hiding in fear, he began to hear them stop laughing one by one. Erza was the first, followed shortly by Natsu, surprisingly, and then Gray and Lucy.

Natsu, once noticing that happy hadn't shown his face, quickly began to panic internally, worried that Happy had somehow gone missing, or perhaps even left in fright. Of course, he was so caught up in his head he forgot he could smell Happy not even a dozen feet away.

"Happy, you can come back now, it was just a prank. Happy!" Natsu called out frantically, worried that his little buddy had fallen prey to a trap or mage that had somehow gone unnoticed. His worry was quickly replaced by annoyance when he realized he could smell his best friend so close by.

"Natsu! You gotta do something! Erza's been possessed!" Happy cried as he used his _Max Speed_ to quickly fly into his surrogate father's arms, realizing that no distance could protect him from the Titania, and that the safest place on the island was with Natsu, who was more than strong enough to handle her, hopefully.

Natsu simply shook his head as he mouthed an apology to his scarlet haired friend, even more annoyed at his best friends reaction. 'Does Erza really laugh that little?" Natsu thought as he looked down at Happy, noticing that this wasn't a joke, but actual, sheer terror.

Natsu quickly moved his eyes to Gray, hoping to catch his reaction before he regained his usual calm, _cold_ composure. completely blocking out Lucy's angry muttering at Happy's lack of tact, and focused on human 'tells'. Natsu noticed that Gray's pupils were slightly larger than usual, and not due to light exposure or smoking. Plus, his heart rate was fluctuating just a little bit, obviously, he was trying to control himself as to not let Natsu into his head. 'Erza really doesn't laugh does she' Natsu thought as he looked back to Erza, hoping to be able to analyze her as well until he noticed that she had already turned towards the door she, Happy and Gray supposed to go through.

"Erza, you still have that lacrima right?" Natsu asked as he approached his door with Happy still in his arms, thus prompting Lucy to follow with her arms crossed, glaring at the blue cat, mad at his inability to read the situation. 'That was the first time I've ever seen Erza open up and actually laugh, and he just goes and makes her feel bad about it!' She internally rants as she patiently waits behind Natsu, waiting for the search and possible rescue to begin.

' _Yes I do,'_ Erza replied via the lacrima in question as she reached for the door handle, ready to start looking, as time was ticking away until they'd have to return to the temple and stop not only Ur's murder, but Deliora's resurrection in one fell swoop. ' _I'm sorry about Happy, I know he can be annoying, but at the end of the day, he's still a child. He doesn't understand some things yet, so as his parent, I take responsibility for it. So, sorry...'_ Natsu told her telepathically as he looked down at the cat in question, who had stopped shaking in his arms.

"Happy, you take the middle door," Natsu said aloud as he let go of the blue cat, making everyone's head snapped towards him in shock, not being able to understand whatsoever why he would allow his defenseless friend to go on his own.

"Really?!" Happy cheered excitedly as he flew up to look his only father figure in the eye. Thus only confusing everyone further, as Gray and Lucy figured this was his sort of punishment for making fun of Erza. Natsu then requipped a fair sized black bundle before giving it to Happy, who flew in front of the middle door, waiting for it to be opened for him. Natsu walked forward and grabbed the handle before swinging it open, making everyone realize that they were both serious. Everyone was silent as they stared at Natsu and the door Happy disappeared through, curious as to why Happy, of all people were allowed to go on their own.

"I won't object, as I trust your judgment, but, I hope you both know what you're doing," Erza said aloud as she opened her own door before entering with Gray behind her, hoping to find Lucy's keys for her. ' _Thank you...'_ Erza told him before she left the room, her appreciation growing for him as the day goes on.

"Well, let's get a move on shall we?" Natsu said as he looked a confused and slightly upset Lucy in the eyes, raising a brow before opening their door and entering.

 **With Erza and Gray**

 **"** Well, let's get to work, I'll search the room closest to the door, before inspecting every other room after that. Gray, you will look through the room second closest to the door, and follow the same pattern." Erza deduced as she looked down the surprisingly wide hall way they were in, surprised that the same design style followed throughout the hallway, various paintings on display on the wall, making it look like a five-star gallery rather than a dark mage hideout.

"Yeah... this seems to be the living quarters," Gray replies as he approached the room he was to search first.

"Yes, and if you are correct, I trust you shall do nothing indecent." Erza threatened with her hands on her hips, daring Gray to defy her wishes.

"Yeah yeah," Gray said as he waved his hand, knowing better than anyone they have no time for horse play. "What do you want me to do if I find something?" Gray asked as he opened the door, still staying in eye contact with Erza.

"Remove your shirt and wait for me," Erza said resolutely after having thought about it for a few minutes, remembering that the alarm is loud enough that she would be able to hear it since they can clear a room at a fairly even pace, and anyone else who might have been listening wouldn't have understood why.

Gray, was not even close to the same bandwidth Erza was on. He stood there, gawking in shock, unable to comprehend what purpose that had whatsoever. 'What does she mean? _Remove your shirt and wait for me.'_ Gray thought as he stood there stock still, having had not moved since Erza had said that one thing. It took him a few seconds before his face turned a pure scarlet realizing the connotations of her statement. 'Oh, My, God.' Gray thought as he tore open his door and ran in, trying to find something as if his life depended on it.

Meanwhile, Erza came to the same realization as she was going through the drawers of a posh marble top cedar corner desk, looking for any invoices or receipts regarding their purchases and trades, curious as to how they funded this all without anyone noticing, or reporting it.

'I... had a misuse of words...' Erza thought as he whole body locked up, her face competing with her hair as her head began to steam, the thought going through her head influenced by her favorite bedtime reading. Of course, her mind was running so fast she forgot who would be the other participant, seeing a well-sculpted body, as if it were chiseled from stone by a master sculptor. Through all the excitement in the vision, she somehow missed the Wizard Saint Jacket, lying on the floor beside the bed.

 **Behind the middle door**

Behind the middle door, was a perfect hardwood staircase, no scuffs, scratches or signs of damage on each step at all. Shockingly, there were picture frames on the wall, showing a young boy with pale blue spiky hair going through different stages of life, with more and more people in the pictures with him as he grows older.

'Interesting, is this... lion?' Happy thought curiously as he looked at each, and every picture, beginning to recognize certain people in the pictures. 'That's the cat guy!' Happy thought as he looked at a picture above the third step, depicting a young shirtless boy in rolled up jeans with a black cat nose and cat ears the same color of his skin upon his head. 'And that's Mr. Eyebrows!' Happy thought as he looked at a picture above the fourth step showing a pink haired girl, the cat guy, and holding the _lion_ dude upon their shoulders with his hands in the air in triumph, with the others happy below him.

Happy continued on, looking at each, and every picture, feeling like he was learning a little bit more about each and every person on this island, even if he was curious as to how happy they looked together, unlike any dark guild he had seen before. 'Is every Dark Guild like this?' Happy thought as he floated down to the top step, taking a seat and thinking about everything he had learned, as the saying is true ' _A picture is worth a thousand words'._

 **Back with Natsu and Lucy**

Natsu opened the door and found exactly what he was looking for, having had noticed that Erza has some issues with slavery, often going for every rumored slave related mission which was confirmed by the quest log.

On the other side of the right door, was a set of broken down, cobblestone stairs, leading to a dark, musty basement, a stark contrast from the elegant impressionistic style of the first room.

Natsu began to walk down the stairs until he realized Lucy wasn't following him and instead wasn't even looking up at all. He was confused until his nose was able to ignore the overpowering musty scent of the basement below them. 'Salt...' Natsu noticed as he bolted up the stairs in a flash, assuming the salt scent was due to the fact that the stress of the day had finally gotten her down.

"Hey, Lucy, you okay?" Natsu asked as he approached the voluptuous blonde in leather armor who had her arms wrapped around her midsection. 'Oh no,' Natsu thought as he reached his hand out to rest on her arm until she slapped it away in... 'Anger?' Natsu thought confusedly as he looked at Lucy, unable to comprehend what could have possibly made her mad.

"Why is Happy allowed to go on his own? When Gray and I have to have one of you _S-Class Mages_ with us?" Lucy asked as she waved her arms around before crossing them over her chest, or trying to, annoyed at the fact she couldn't do it with how large her breasts are, before she crossed them under her bust, quickly growing annoyed at every that has happened within the past ten minutes.

"Oh," Natsu said stupidly, not sure what he is supposed to say. Lucy simply "hmphed" in annoyance at his reply as she pushed, or at least to tried to push Natsu to the side, but instead, he never moved at all. Lucy simply looked at him in annoyance as she brought her other arm, attempting to push him aside with both arms, until she stepped back, screaming in anger as she walked around him, and down the stairs.

Natsu stiffly followed Lucy down the stairs, not quite sure what he is supposed to say if anything at all. So, what does he do? Ramble.

"Look, Lucy, uhm, Erza chose the teams! And I think she forgot about Happy because he was quiet or something. But, uh, There were three doors! We only had two teams! And, uh, Happy's allowed to go on missions with me for a reason, but he wants me to keep it a secret and-" Natsu rambled as they slowly walked down the stairs, the musty scent increasing the closer they got to the bottom.

Lucy was the first to gasp at what she saw, interrupting his rambling, never having expected to see meters upon meters of rows of iron bars, spread throughout the basement. Multiple sets of chains dangling from their hooks on the wall.

And of course, Natsu was too caught up in his rambling to understand why she gasped and instead thought it was because he almost let out Happy's secret.

"Shit," Natsu muttered quietly as he continued walking down the stairs, not noticing that she had stopped mid-step, and almost pushed her down the rest of the stairs if he had not caught her by the shoulder.

"Sorry! Oh my, I'm Sorry! Please don't kill me!" Natsu said after he righted her, disappearing down the stairs to give her space, completely oblivious of what was around him as he broke her out of her trance. She simply sighed, grateful that he had at least caught her, but more importantly, 'Why the hell is there a jail, here of all places!' Lucy thought, totally gobsmacked as to what was going on, her writers mind unable to keep up with all these plot twists and unanswered questions.

"Hey, Natsu! I'm past that! Why the hell is this a prison?!" Lucy yelled in shock, breaking him out of his obliviousness and informing him of the situation he was correct that was at hand.

"Oh, I was right!" Natsu cheered making Lucy look at him in shock before she walked down the last two steps and slapped him straight in the face, the leather gauntlet on her arm protecting her from hurting her hand as his face stayed stationary, and not slamming to the side as she had hoped.

"Ugh! Why didn't you say anything!" Lucy screamed as she rubbed her hand, the strong for hitting the immovable object that is his face equalling some pain, even if dampened by the gauntlet on her hand.

Natsu simply stared her in the eyes, not in pain at all contrary to her hopes, his skin being hardened due being a first generation slayer. They stared each other in the eyes, a battle of wills until Lucy shook her head and looked around, waiting for him to at least explain himself since, if anyone were to be held hostage, it would be here.

Natsu simply sighed as he walked towards the staircase, sitting on the second bottom step while motioning her to sit beside him. Lucy, giving him the benefit of the doubt, walked towards the stairs and sat beside him, before resting her hands on her leather bound lap, patiently waiting for what better be a good explanation.

"Right, do you want me to start at why I didn't tell them? Or why Happy went on his own?" Giving Lucy control as to when she gets the information.

"Why didn't you tell them? I told you, I'm past that." Lucy said as she looked at the Wizard Saint.

"Right, so you know how everyone at Fairy Tail doesn't exactly have the easiest pasts right?" Natsu asked as he looked her in the eyes, assuring her that everything he says is the truth. Lucy simply took in the knowledge as Natsu continued on.

"This is not a fact, but, as far as I'm aware, Erza has had some experience with slavery in the past," Natsu said, completely shocking Lucy, who simply gestured for him to go on.

"Obviously, I was able to smell a few things down here, Iron, rock, and a little bit of copper. The first two were the strongest scents, and the smell of copper was so slight, but lead me to believe it is blood. I didn't want Erza down here if she didn't need to be. Natsu said as he remembered some of the talks he had with Mira ever since Lisanna died.

"Oh... Wait, you smelt blood, is it fresh?" Lucy asked, trying to remember all these things to write in her diary at the end of the night, having had learned way too much about her friends in one day.

"Well, let's see," Natsu said as he stood up and extended his hand to help her up. "Any more questions?" Natsu asked as she took his hand before they began to walk through the supposed jail.

"Um, yeah, why is Happy on his own? Shouldn't we have gone with him while you and Erza went on your own?" She asked as she continued to look around before she noticed he stopped moving entirely. She looked at his face and noticed even his eyes stopped moving, unblinking. She followed his line of sight, and noticed some pink cloth within one of the closed cells.

She quickly ran forward, hoping to be able to see if it was the missing mage that was mentioned on the council request. She reached the bars, and noticed it was a young girl with white hair, maybe fifteen or sixteen years old, curled up on the cold stone ground. She grabbed the bars, hoping that maybe she would be able to open the bars. Frantically looking around, looking for keys, she noticed that Natsu still hadn't moved.

"Natsu!" She cried, unable to help the young girl in front of her, unable to even tell if she was alive. "Natsu! I need help! Please!" Lucy yelled, not noticing that all of her noise was causing the young girl to stir, panic settling in, reducing her observation skill.

Natsu, finally able to move, took very, slow steps, albeit long, but slow steps. Lucy ran towards him, pulling him forward, unaware as to why he was moving so slowly, unable to make the visual connection as to who the girl looked like. She tried to grab his arm, to pull him forward, but when she got within 3 feet of him it felt her skin was burning, causing her to jump back, rubbing her arms in pain. She felt his magic build up, until he disappeared in a flash of fire, causing her to look towards the cell where the small girl was residing with Natsu standing outside of it.

She ran towards the cell, hoping that Natsu would be able to break through the cell so she could start first aid if need be on the young girl. To her shock, the heat radiating off of Natsu began to melt the bars surrounding the girl, who began to uncurl, the magic power feeling so comforting yet terrifying.

Lucy was now at a safe distance from Natsu, but still close enough to the cell to see that the girl had white hair in a bowl cut.

"Lisanna..." Natsu muttered making Lucy's head shoot up in shock and look at him as he began to walk through the bars, scaring the girl into the corner where she curled up in a ball.

 **With Gray and Erza**

'Oh no...' They both thought as they ran out of their respective rooms and down the hall to the entrance as fast as magically possible, Erza even going as far as to requip into her _Flight Armor,_ honestly scared as to what could make Natsu put out so much magical power with a possible with Deliora on the horizon. She exited the door at the end of the hall before she dashed towards the door furthest from her, running into a short, black clad figure.

Erza was so panicked that she paid that figure no attention as she tore the door open before literally flying down the cobble stone staircase before she stopped in shock, seeing Natsu standing in the middle of a cell in front of a small girl with white hair, that was even wearing some type of pink dress. 'No...' Erza thought as she looked at the girl, and then Natsu, not wanting to believe what was clearly laid out before her eyes.

Both Gray and the black clad figure ran down the stairs, before seeing what Erza saw, and stopped dead in their tracks, the current scene something so impossible nobody believed it.

"Lisanna!" The black clad figure yelled as it immediately shrunk, displaying Happy in some sort of Ninja Costume as he flew forward, towards both his parents for the first time in years.

'What, in the name of Mavis, is going on...' Lucy thought as she saw everyone around her acting as if they saw a ghost.

* * *

And onto the Reviews.

Natsuharemlovr-Chapter 20- And I read every review at least twice, considering every suggestion and idea that all of you give me. But yeah! Thanks for the help!

Guest-chapter20- I agree that the Daphne arc was shit, but, as of now I don't have a powerful enough catalyst in mind for the Battle for Fairy Tail, any ideas are welcome.

* * *

This is everyone that is in the harem. Final list.

1\. Milliana

2\. Kagura Mikazuchi

3\. Sherry Blendy

4\. Lucy Heartfilia

5\. Ikaruga Ryu

6\. Wendy Marvell

7\. Erza Scarlet

8\. Sayla

9\. Kyoka

10\. Sorano Agria

11\. Yukino Agria

12\. Meredy

13\. Ultear Milkovich

14\. Brandish Myu

15\. Dimaria Yestia

16\. Hisui E Fiore

17\. Irene B

18\. Juvia Loxar

19\. Lisanna Strauss

20\. Minerva O

21\. Jenny Realight

22\. Mirajane Strauss

23\. Cana Alberona

24\. Ur Milkovich

25\. Celestial Spirits

\- Aquarius

-Libra

 _-_ Opichius

-Aries (MAYBE)

-Virgo (MAYBE)

* * *

I just want to say, I know Erza is not heartless, or emotionless but when you watch the anime and read the manga, you realize that the more time Erza spends with Natsu especially, and the rest of team in life threatening situations and missions, she begins to open up, allowing herself to laugh and enjoy life again.

* * *

It might take more than 4 more chapters to finish the Galuna island arc because I want to write in cool moments that allow not only Natsu to learn about the others, but vice versa as well. I was hoping that I would be able to put out 6-7k chapters since 19 came out nicely, but I got stuck on the last chapter and that put me back. Sorry! Please forgive me.

* * *

Anyone who's wrote something using Doc Manager on _Fanfiction,_ Do you not find it annoying that after a while when you hit save, it asks you to log in and DOES NOT save what you've done?!


	22. A Binding Promise

**I think I will make a poll on whether or not I should do the Daphne arc,** I really want to try my own spin, or I could make a whole new arc. As always, it's up to all of you to make the decision. I write purely for the readers, you.

And onto the story.

Everyone just stood there for only a few seconds, unable to move or comprehend what their eyes showed in front of them, except Happy, who was just so glad to see his parents together again for the first time in years. He flew forward, towards his ballistic father and apparently fearful mother, who had curled into the ball, hiding in the corner, believing this to be the demon she has been told about.

The closer he got, the warmer he felt, but his relations with Natsu made it easier to withstand. He flew past Erza who didn't even appear to be looking at the girl, but all the bars and shackles around them, and then he flew by Lucy. Seeing Happy fly by caused Lucy to snap out of her confusion, and for once she decided to take charge.

"Natsu stop! Stop! You're scaring her!" Lucy said as she walked forward, before being pushed back by Natsu's power to the ground, her leather armor protecting her from any burns as she stepped back. 'Of course, Natsu would carry armor enchanted for fire resistance' Lucy thought as she tried to get back up, simply wanting to help the girl who was cornered by an out-of control Natsu.

Happy, however, continued forward, somehow able to pass through, 'This is... how is Happy able to get through, does it have anything to do with why he was allowed to go alone?' Lucy considered as she tried to stand up, having been too focused on everything going on behind her to realize Happy change shape after he went down the stairs.

Gray was the next to recover from his shock, 'I really wish that was her... But, there's just no way, it's impossible! Makarov sent Gildarts AND Laxus back to the scene, to search for her body to have a proper funeral since neither Mira nor Elfman could find her body' Gray thought as he began to run forward to first, help Lucy up, worried that she was getting burned from the intense fires that were even melting the metal bars not even a meter away.

As he ran forward, he was confused as to why Erza was not stepping forward to help, but as he looked at her he realized that she was somehow stuck in a nightmare.

"Gray!" Lucy shouted snapping him out of his own thoughts, making him realize that as much help as Erza would be, the priority would be to finish saving the poor girl and to prevent Natsu from wasting any more magic, in that order.

The closer Gray got, the more he realized just how potent the flames were. Not even three meters away and it already felt like his flesh was melting off his bones.

"Fuck that's hot, _Ice Make Armor!"_ Gray said as a pillar of ice sprung up from his feet, completely encasing his whole body and then some. However, as Gray expected, it began to melt. The sheer heat Natsu was putting off forced him to continue pouring magic into his armor to keep it solid as it continued to form. After a few more seconds of constant power output from Gray, he broke through his cocoon of ice and emerged, wearing a fairly thick set of armor, that merely provided protection as it was a silhouette of his body, simply bigger.

Gray ran forward but quickly noticed why Lucy wasn't able to stand up but, was confused as to how Happy was slowly, but surely getting closer than he or Lucy could. 'Don't tell me Happy is stronger than me too... I really need to train harder,' Gray concluded as he trudged on forward, his armor melting but still sheltering him from the blistering heat as he grabbed Lucy's hand and pulled her away from Natsu.

Fortunately, both Gray and Lucy realized that the only person able to get to Natsu, and more importantly the woman who looked like Lisanna, was Happy who was already by Natsu's side.

"Happy! What's wrong with Natsu?! Get him to stop!" Lucy screamed, making Happy look back at them, tears streaming down his furry blue face as he stared at his friends. the emotions in his eyes slowly breaking their hearts as they realized just how important this was to him, and just how much it hurt to take it away.

"But... That's my mom?" Happy questioned, looking at them as tears continued to roll down his face. Lucy looked to Gray, having never known Lisanna, or what happened to her, silently asking him to handle the situation.

"Happy, Lisanna's dead... There's no way she would have survived, especially after all this time while we heard no word at all." Gray reasoned making Happy look at Natsu, and then at the girl in the corner, and then back to Gray, his body beginning to tremble with his tears as he thought over everything he was told, his young mind having trouble comprehending such a situation.

Happy looked back to his parents, no longer acting purely on emotions, but on logic as well. The longer he looked at the girl in the corner, the more he noticed. 'She looks about the same age as when Lisanna died,' Happy noticed as he looked closer, 'She acts different too, Lisanna would have recognized us, but she seems terrified of us... That's not actually Lisanna... is it.' Happy realized as his heart dropped, more tears running down his face as it felt like he was reliving her death all over again, the pain seemingly amplified by the hope they had being crushed into nothing.

Happy, knowing he would be the one to have to snap Natsu out of his magic induced rage, calmly floated closer to Natsu, making everyone cringe knowing he had no heat protection whatsoever. they all watched as he calmly placed his hand upon Natsu's shoulder and the fires immediately went out. The heat gone, Gray and Lucy walked forward, Lucy going to perform any first aid needed for the mysterious girl as Gray walked straight towards Natsu, knowing just how much losing someone you love can hurt, but the second time would be excruciating.

Natsu simply turned back to Happy, looking his surrogate, furry son in the eyes as tears rolled down his face, his heart torn asunder from the whirlwind of emotions running through all of them. The joy of realizing that Lisanna might be alive, the hope they had that this was real. The love they felt for her, and the pain of losing her all over again.

"It's not her, Happy, it's not her," Natsu told his son, unashamed of the tears running down his face. Happy flew to Natsu, before giving him a hug, the pain of having to relive her death eased in the arms of his father.

Gray, realizing that Natsu is reasonably okay, simply approached Erza, before carefully tapping her on the shoulder, hoping to break her out of whatever stupor she was in.

Lucy carefully approached the girl, being careful to avoid the molten metal and slag as she stepped into the cell. As she got closer the girls shaking grew in intensity, and she screamed when Lucy reached forward, making Lucy realize that the leather armor was startling her, even more so after Natsu's display of power.

Unfortunately for Gray, his poking hadn't worked, his tactic evolved to grabbing her shoulder and gently shaking her, as you would a child suffering a nightmare. Coincidentally, the still unnamed girl screamed as Lucy reached for her, just as Gray grabbed Erza's shoulder, the scream breaking her out of her past making her Grab Gray and throw him over her shoulder... straight into a cell wall.

"Oww..." Gray moaned as Erza stilled from having had not known it was Gray, feeling a little sorry for him, but figuring this makes up for his sour comment. Luckily, Gray had somehow forgotten to dispel his armor, which only made for a heavier impact. Gray actually made an indent in the bars, so deep that his body was suspended in the bars, until he fell to the ground, shattering the armor leaving him lying on a bed of shattered ice and rock.

"Consider us even," Erza said as she walked forward, trying to act as if she wasn't caught up in an episode almost similar to PTSD. She was about to walk past Natsu, before she turned around and put her hand on his shoulder, worried as to how he felt, and how it would affect him during the mission.

"Are you alright?" Erza asked as she looked him in the eye, unsurprised to see the tear stains on his face as she tried to ignore Gray's grumbles of annoyance as he attempted to stand up, his whole body in pain as ice doesn't make for much comfort since his _Ice Armor_ creates a very dense, compact layer of ice all around himself.

"Honestly? No." Natsu said, his voice breaking as he looked everywhere but at her, ashamed at losing control over something seemingly for the second time today.

"Is this going to keep happening? You losing control all the time?" Erza asked, trusting Lucy to tend to the girl while she talked to Natsu, not worried anymore about looking through the building as they had found what they were looking for, currently at least.

"Uh, yeah, about that. So uh, I have an aspect to my magic called _The Flames of emotion_ , they strengthen my flames, but, the more I feel the harder they are to control, and when you're so mentally occupied or traumatized, it's really hard" Natsu said, ashamed that he lost control twice in one day.

"Well, any tricks to snap you out of it for next time?" Erza asked with a small smile on her face, almost glad that they were given this mission, and the opportunity to learn more about each other because otherwise they probably never would have been caught dead in the same room, let alone working together. 'Every rumor or thought I had of him, was wrong, a misconception based off of jealousy and unjust hate... Thank you, Mavis, for giving me the chance to make this right. Natsu's a good person, perhaps even better than most due to his inability to hold a grudge, even with all his idiosyncrasies.' Erza projected to the cosmos, hoping that the first master would accept her thanks.

"Well, you can knock... Wait.. what?" Natsu started, before realizing the magnitude of her question.

"This is simply based off of so far, but we, as a group, all of us actually get along quite well, which is a far way from when we started, perhaps we could even form a team later on... We would be able to aid Gildarts in handling the higher class quests, and more importantly save more people, well, let's wait until we stop Deliora to confirm that" Erza explained as she turned around to check on how much progress Lucy had made, considering the benefits and downfalls of such a thing while Natsu simply gawked at her, never having thought one mission with people who couldn't stand him before, would put him on a team other than with his brother or father.

Lucy was having little luck, her armor scaring the girl, but having no other option other than nudity. Gray was the most usual looking of the group, in simple shirt and pants, rather than Natsu's hunting gear, Lucy's leather, and Erza's armor. Fortunately, Gray had recovered enough that he was able to push his body up, and off of the ground, before awkwardly limping towards Lucy, seeing as she was having no luck on communicating to the young girl.

Gray bypassed Erza and Natsu, who were talking about things Gray could care less about at the current moment due to the situation, as Natsu held a trembling Happy, rightfully so as they are the two most impacted by such a thing. As he got closer to Lucy, he could hear her quietly talking, attempting to coax the girl into talking, hoping to help her get past being held captive alone on an island inhabiting what could possibly be the strongest demon to ever cause carnage on this physical plane.

As Gray got closer he realized that the girl refused to look at Lucy, and everyone else as well, justly so given Natsu's lack of control.

"It's okay, we aren't here to hurt you," Lucy said as she crouched two feet away from the girl, who still refused to look at her. 'I'm glad at least someone here is patient, I'm afraid to think what would have happened if Erza were to try and talk to her,' Gray thought, shuddering about how much more traumatized the girl would have been during that unfortunate scene of events. Lucy, seeing Gray approach quietly stood up and walked towards him, deciding to talk to him, and the others on the sidelines, this being her first experience with a victim of anything other than terrible flirts and bad jokes.

"Lucy, do you have any progress to report?" Erza asked as Lucy and Gray approached them, understanding that they really have no clue how long she has been captive, and most times mages could be given two, or even three months before there would be a missing mage report sent to the council.

"None at all, other than she's stopped trembling in fear, thanks for that, by the way. Surely there were easier ways to open the cell?" Lucy asks as she cocked her hip, not entirely upset with him, as nobody was hurt, but annoyed as they are no longer seen as her rescue party. Natsu at least had the decency to feel ashamed as he held Happy with his right arm while scratching the back of his head with his left.

"Yeah, Guys, I'm really sorry about that, it's just- Well, Dammit!" Natsu said as he punched the cell wall to his left in anger completely obliterating the old, malleable metal, unable to describe just how much it meant to him, to simply hope and believe that Lisanna was alive again. Most of them had seen it coming, and nobody had noticed the girl peeking above her knees, curious as to what these new people were doing, and shocked at his complete show of strength, with no magic behind it at all. "Maybe... Maybe we won't all die,' She thought, having had recognized his strength simply due to the flame output and heat without any drawbacks, not to mention his base physical strength. 'Are they truly here to rescue me though...'

Surprisingly, Gray of all people reached his arm out and put it on Natsu's shoulder, understanding just how much it hurt to love someone you loved, as Lucy wasn't aware of what had exactly happened.

"Look, man, we get it. Lisanna meant a lot to everyone, and yet you were her best friend. I can't imagine how much it would hurt, thinking she was alive again only to have that torn away from you again. But, remember what's at stake here, alright?" Gray said as he looked Natsu in the eyes, making him clench his eyelids shut, not wanting to shed any more tears with what will be happening within the next four hours or so.

"Thanks... Now let's get on with this right? She's scared of me, so take me out." Natsu said as he let go of Happy, who quickly flew onto Lucy's shoulder, before he requipped another a set of magic restricting handcuffs, making Erza confused, as they only work on lower mages, not Saints. 'Either those are a special set, or they're going to break,' Erza thought as she watched him give them to Gray, so smiled, enjoying every minute of this.

The girl was shocked, for him not to only have a great affinity for Fire magic, but to know more types of magic as well is very impressive, she was even more shocked when he turned around, for her to clearly see as the dark haired ice mage locked him up, making him fall to his knees, which makes sense, as suddenly losing so much magic can be physically straining. 'They really are serious... she watched as the black haired man then walked forward towards her, and to their surprise, she didn't flinch or hide at all, in fact, she looked him straight in the eyes.

'Definitely not Lisanna,' Gray thought as he looked her in the eyes, noticing her chocolate brown eyes, while Lisanna had sky blue. Gray walked forward slowly, holding his hands up showing that his hands were empty, and while that essentially assured nothing due to his maker ability in magic, it was a nice gesture.

Gray stopped when he was three feet away from _not Lisanna_ , which confused her as she thought he would want to be closer.

"I get it, you don't know us, we don't know you. But, part of our mission from the council was to come and recover you." Gray said making the girl's eye widen in shock, having no idea as to how the council even knew she was here.

"Let me see it." The girl said, speaking for the first time in their presence as Erza requipped the request before using her telepathy to float it over to the girl who snatched it from the air before crossing her legs and reading the request as Natsu stayed on his knees, a sign of submission that showed he meant no harm, being the strongest mage in the room.

It took an awkward five minutes of silence for the girl to finish reading and ensuring that the council request was legit, and not a hoax to trick her into going with them peacefully. 'The request asks for two S-Class mages, and the Guild Request Stamp is for the Fairy Tail Guild' She noticed as she looked back up at the mages who were attempting to free her from this cage.

"The request was given to the Fairy Tail Guild, show me your guild marks, and tell me your name," The platinum haired girl asked, which makes sense as many Fairy Tail mages are all renown for their own quirks. 'She's smart, that's good.' Erza acknowledged as she considered whether or not to remove her armor, before deciding it would be safer, and more time efficient to do so.

Lucy slowly took off her vambrace before stretching her arm out, displaying the pink Guildmark on the back of her hand, "My name, is Lucy." She said before putting the vambrace on, beginning to become attached to this useful set of armor that Natsu had given her.

"My name is Gray, Gray Fullbuster," he said as he lifted his shirt up making the girl blush in embarrassment, unaccustomed to such displays nudity, but she did see the large dark blue, almost black Guild mark on his right pectoral.

"I am Erza Scarlet, or, you may know me as _Titania,"_ Erza said with a bow as she requipped out of her _Heartz Kreuz_ armor to display her blue guild mark on her shoulder, leaving her in a white sleeveless pleated blouse with a blue bow on her neck. The girl's eyes widened in shock, as Erza was a symbol for many aspiring female mages, that they can be just as strong, or even stronger than a man.

"I'm Natsu Dragneel, and this little guy is Happy." The pinkette said while nodding his head towards the small blue cat, who was still in a ninja wrap, making the girl looked at him in annoyance because he hadn't made any move to any attempt to show his guild mark or even remove his armor. That was until she remembered that his hands were actually cuffed behind his back and restricting his magic, so he can't really take them off on his own. The Fairy Tail mages then looked to the girl, curious if she had any more questions or requests before she reveals her own name.

"My name... is Yukino Agria." The girl said as she stood up, showing that she wasn't actually wearing a dress, but a Pink nightgown with magenta trim that ended in the middle of her shin, making the Fairy Tail mages a little upset, as they could see scuffs and tears in it, showing that she hasn't been able to change for at least a week or so. Yukino was a moderately developed young girl, maybe fifteen or sixteen years old standing at five foot two inches with what looked to be B-Cup breasts. "Hiya Yukino! Mind telling us what happened?" Natsu said from his spot on the ground, making Happy laugh before he flew around his fathers head, poking and prodding him since he was restrained, and couldn't exactly retaliate. Yukino laughed at Happy's antics, beginning to act more her age before she sighed, trying to change the topic. Thankfully, it did look as if that she had been fed daily, her complexion being healthy, albeit pale due to lack of sun exposure.

"So, uh, thanks for saving me, Natsu, even though you did it weirdly, why were you crying?" Yukino asked curiously as she stretched her arms, allowing the images to accurately observe her form, worried if she was starved during her captivity.

Gray, noticing that Yukino was at least comfortable, walked towards Natsu before unlocking and removing the cuffs making Natsu sigh in relief, before he stood up rubbing his he stood up his body was surrounded by a white light, and when it died down you could tell that he had used requip to remove his hunting gear, choosing to put on his black floor length Wizard Saint Cloak. Remembering Yukinos request, he reached across his torso with his left arm, before tearing his right sleeve off, showing her his maroon guild mark.

Her question made everyone except Lucy stiffen, not wanting to relive those memories for the second time within an hour. Erza, realizing that she wasn't going to talk, decided to at least give her a change of clothes.

"Boys, go upstairs and check on the guy you captured. Make sure nobody comes down either," Erza said before turning to Yukino, her first statement making Yukino worried as to what was going to happen. "Want a change of clothes?" Erza asked as she looked Yukino in the eyes, making her calm down.

"Yeah, that'd be nice!" Yukino said as Natsu, Gray, and Happy began to walk towards the worn down staircase before beginning to ascend it, listening to Happy vividly explain why fish is the best food in the world, even going on to list multiple different types of fish and their nutritional value because Gray made the mistake to ask the age old question "Why.".

 **Girls PoV**

Yukino carefully walked forward, still a little cautious even though she had nothing to worry about. Lucy and Erza stood there, waiting for Yukino to be comfortable until she was essentially asked to get naked, especially since she was probably wasn't wearing a bra.

"So, what type of clothes do you prefer wearing?" Lucy asked once again taking charge due to her obsession with cute clothes, making Yukino put her finger to her chin, thinking about what she wanted to wear while Erza stood there, trying to remember what clothes she had in her magic space.

Before Yukino even had a chance to answer, a dense wall of dark red, almost black flames burst up from the ground to the ceiling in front of Yukino, it didn't span the whole length of the cell, but covered enough so she could change, and she could not see through to the other side. Before she even had a chance to scream words made out of fire appeared in the air, almost as if someone was writing. _Just something to get changed behind ~Natsu_ is what it read making Yukino smile in appreciation at the small, but meaningful gesture as she then answered Erza's question, more comfortable that she doesn't have to strip in front of strangers, even if they mean no harm.

 **Boys PoV**

Gray had finally admitted defeat, unable to hear any more about how the Atlantic Mackerel was apparently the healthiest fish to eat, while Natsu simply stared at Gray in pity, having heard the exact same rant more than once before. Luckily they weren't in Magnolia, otherwise, he would pull out a set of cue cards from seemingly nowhere and use them to aid in his explanation on why fish are healthier than meat. Before they left the building, Gray walked up to the bar, grabbing two bottles of beer and a box of matches while Natsu talked to Happy, telling him to go back to what he was doing, and search for Lucy's while they waited. When Gray walked back to Natsu, he rose his brow, amused that Gray had grabbed two beers before shaking his head and leading the way out, unsurprised that the door had closed, he walked to the door and kicked the moon symbol that was weirdly placed down at the bottom of the door.

"How did you know where the switch is?" Gray asked as he used his teeth covered in a very thin layer of ice to take the cap off before taking a swig, sighing at the taste of a good cold beer.

"When someone has complete mastery over _HellFire Flames,_ not even the sky is the limit," Natsu told him, barely answering his question since he technically answered how, but not really explaining it.

"You gonna elaborate on that?" Gray asked as he took another swig, still carrying the unopened bottle in his other hand. Natsu sigh, not wanting to empty his bag of tricks so much, especially since part of it was due to his right as the _Prince of Fire Dragons._

Gray, noticing Natsu's hesitancy held out the unopened bottle, making Natsu shake his head with a laugh before grabbing the bottle with his left hand and pointing the cap to the sky, before forming a saber out of fire and sliding it up the bottle, slashing the cap off making Gray shake his head at the pinkette showing off while Natsu just laughed.

They continued on, drinking and talking as if they had been friends for years, instead of people who literally fought whenever they saw each other not even a day earlier. They continued to walk down the tunnel, not at all worried about the ceiling collapsing as the supports were still up, 'It seems Gray has more power and control over his magic than I thought, to be able to sustain that for over twenty minutes at that distance is quite impressive, no wonder he is an S-Class prospect.' Natsu noticed as they exited the cave, surprised to see the man Natsu knocked out was still out cold, meaning he has been unconscious for over an hour now.

"Man, how hard did you hit him?" Gray asked as he walked forward, curious if he had heard them and was simply pretending to eaves drop on them. Gray lightly tapped the man with his foot, before tapping a little harder, and as they expected, he was out cold. Natsu simply walked over to the pelt he left on the ground, checking to see if it was dried out yet. And to his luck, it was. He bent over, before requipping the pelt away making Gray look at him curiously.

"What do you plan on doing with that?" Gray asked as he walked towards the fire pit Natsu dug to cook the boar, before lighting one of the matches he got and throwing it into the pit, starting another fire. 'Why is everyone so nice now? Is this only because we're away from the guild? What's going on?" Natsu thought as he walked towards the edge of the clearing entering the brush for about a minute, before he walked out dragging a fallen tree over into the clearing, so they had something to sit on while they waited.

"So, I've been meaning to ask this, but how did you end up learning maker magic?" Gray asked as he sat in front of the fire and took a swig of his beer, prompting Natsu to sit down as well.

"Honestly, _Dragon Slaying_ _Magic_ uses some principles of _Maker Magic._ There are no restrictions as to what spells slayers can create, as long as we have enough power to follow through. Plus, Igneel taught me _Maker Magic_ so then I could make stronger shields and barriers with my _Dragon Slaying Magic._ " Natsu explained as he looked into the fire, shaping it into a dragon's head with an x shaped scar on the snout before he released his control over the flames.

"So you can use both _Static_ and _Dynamic Fire Make_ huh," Gray said as he looked to the sky, glad that there was still some time before the moon came out.

"I'm surprised you can't," Natsu said as he looked to Gray, curious as to why Gray never tried or succeeded at learning _Dynamic Ice Make_ , as it would help in restoration quests, and allow him to create things to help him fight. Gray sighed, as he looked at Natsu, "I didn't want to find another teacher, in respect to Ur, I will not take on another master." Gray said as he looked to the sky, almost as if he was trying to look up at her, before he bowed his head in respect, especially since he took responsibility for her demise.

 **Time Skip,** **Boy's PoV**

Both Gray and Natsu were surprised when they saw Lucy walk out first, with nobody following her.

"Hey Luce, where are the others... Is everything alright?" Natsu asked as he shot to his feet throwing the rest of his beer into the flames, making them grow due to the fuel, before inhaling the flames as a top up in case he needed to fight as Gray stood a tad slower, taking the last swig of his beer before throwing the empty bottle into the pit.

'Were they... Were they just drinking together, without fighting or anything?' Lucy thought in shock as she gaped at the two she never thought would get along, especially due to their warring elements. She blushed once she realized Natsu had given her a nickname, and that combined with her silence and shocked expression only put Gray and Natsu more on edge, worried that something may have happened to Yukino... or something!

"Hey, Lucy, you alright?" Gray asked as he walked forward, and was the surprised when she motioned him back, making him slowly walk backward before he stopped beside Natsu, both of them confused out of their mind as to what was going on.

"Wait! Everything's okay! Both of you just wait there, we want your opinion about what you think of Yukino's outfit!" Lucy declared as they waved their arms, making both Gray and Natsu sigh in annoyance as they sat back down, knowing exactly how dangerous it is to say the wrong thing, especially since they don't know her.

"Alright, just hurry up, impending doom on the horizon and everything!" Natsu said as he waved at her with a wink, making her blush before she went back into the tunnel.

"How in the name of Mavis were they able to convince Erza to do that, during a really dangerous mission of all things too!?" Gray asked Natsu as he looked into the pit with a sigh, having had wanted to nurse his beer for a little bit longer.

"Right, Gray... I know Erza is pretty strict and all, but you do realize she is still a woman right? As far as I can tell she just tries to protect everyone in her own way. Go easier on her, she just needs some time to open up." Natsu said as he leaned back, patiently waiting for Yukino to make her entrance.

 **Erza's PoV**

Unknown to both of them, Erza was standing in the tunnel, giving Lucy and Yukino some space to talk before they went on with their own small fashion show, overheard Natsu's statement to Gray. She felt her chest bloom with a nice, warm feeling, glad that they had settled their differences, 'Nobody's ever defended me like that before...' She thought as the warmth began to shift towards her face as she walked back down into the tunnel, hearing Lucy trying to convince Yukino to walk out of the tunnel as if she was in a fashion show, and hearing Yukino's sputtering rejections to that idea, showing her more bashful teenager side.

Surprisingly, it only took a few more minutes for Lucy to convince a blushing Yukino to walk into the tunnel, passing an amused Erza before slowly making her way out, walking into the clearing for a few paces before spinning around, hearing the clapping and whistling from Gray and Natsu.

 **Boy's PoV**

Both Gray and Natsu sat on the log, semi-patiently waiting for Yukino to come out, Natsu had restarted the fire, and while none of them were cold, he did enjoy hearing the crackling sound of the fire as they sat there, encompassed by its comforting warmth.

A few minutes later, Erza was seen walking out in her usual armor making Gray clap at a casual pace before both Natsu and Erza looked at him, the former annoyed and the latter confused as to why on Earthland he was clapping. She looked around, looking for the source of his clapping only to come up empty. He stopped clapping once he realized she was not part of the show and just stared at the ground with a blush on his face, having had figured if Erza was part of the show, it would be safer to react than not.

Erza then continued to walk forward, before sitting beside Natsu on the log, making Natsu raise his brow in curiosity, having had been sure she would sit in between them forming some sort of barrier on the weird premise that they were unable to get along and would always fight. He looked back at the flame before slightly increasing the heat, hoping to melt the beer bottles as to not get Gray in trouble, a small but appreciated gesture he noticed with a small smirk.

Lucy came out a minute later, waving at the three sitting on a log, before Erza shook her head, bemused before she started clapping, prompting Natsu and Gray to join in kind, as Lucy held a stick to her mouth?

"Thank you! Thank you, you're all too kind! Now to announce our model for this afternoon, the stunning, the beautiful, the smart little cookie herself! Yukinooooo Agriaaa!" Lucy cheered making Natsu sweat drop and Gray facepalmed while Lucy walked towards them before sitting in between the two boys, staring intently at the tunnel entrance, unable to stay still as she was giddily waiting for Yukino to make her appearance, making both boys very uncomfortable.

It took only a few seconds for Natsu's nose to pick up Yukino's scent, which had changed, probably suggesting they let her shower before changing, which is understandable given that she had been kept in that cell for who knows how long.

The first part you could see of her was her head, and now that she had a chance to shower, you could see that her hair was more of a very light blue or even white with a gray tinge, instead of the iconic pure Strauss white. As she continued to walk forward you could see she had a white with a sky blue trim cape with a gold chain clasp around her neck.

Her whole torso was out of the tunnel now, showing that she was wearing a clean white tank top on showing little no not cleavage, but however was tight enough to display her slim waist and toned midriff. She had on a pure white slim skirt, unlike Erza's that frilled out, and it went down right above her knees. She had on a pair of white boots that went up to below her knee, that had gold buckles running along the sides.

She entered the clearing, blushing when she realized that everyone was looking at her. she walked closer, and on Lucy's prompt. spun, making her mini cap twist in the wind making Natsu stand up and clap, making her blush a deeper shade of red than Erza's hair, before ending the spin with a curtsey.

Lucy stood up, bringing the stick to her mouth, prepared to say something, before she stopped, noticing Erza glaring at her, daring her to continue and waste time. She blushed before sitting back down, unlike Natsu who was still standing, He walked into the brush once again making Erza smile while Lucy and Yukino watched on, confused as to what he was planning on doing, until they heard something break, and seconds later he entered the clearing with a fresh, clean stump, before requipping the pelt he just dried and sitting it on the end, making sure Yukino's white skirt didn't get dirty.

The girls watched Natsu in shock, having never believed he could be so thoughtful, while Gray was confused as to why he went through so much trouble for Yukino, and not Lucy or Erza. 'Am I suppose to let them sit on my clothes or something?' Gray thought as he looked down, surprised to see he was still wearing the clothes Natsu had given him. 'What?! Wait, am I no longer going to have to spend thousands of jewels on clothes every week due to losing them, all because of Natsu?' Gray thought as he looked up at the pinkette on everyone's mind, keeping his gaze trained on the pinkette as he returned to his seat, never having believed all he would need to do to cure his uncontrollable stripping was to be under house arrest.

Yukino quietly walked towards her seat, making sure not to fall in front of all the Fairy Tail Mages in front of her as she flattened her skirt before she took her seat, already showing how attached she was to her new clothes as Gray looked on, confused as to how Erza had clothes in Yukino's size and colour in her magic space, but he saved that question for later, after Deliora has been killed, one way, or another.

"Right, Yukino, first I want to apologize for how I reacted, I shouldn't have lost control like that," Natsu said as he looked Yukino straight in her beautiful chocolate brown eyes, allowing her to see just how serious he was.

"Nah, it's okay, it's not every day I get to see what a Wizard Saint can do," Yukino said as she literally waved it off, letting him know that it's all fine and good while letting him know she knew how strong he was.

"Oh, you knew that... Cool," Natsu said as he blushed a bit, uncomfortable when people bring up his rank, partially because that's what makes other mages jealous of him.

"So, I don't mean to be rude, but, why are you here?" Gray asked as he leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees as he stared at Yukino, curious as to whether she is an S-Class mage herself attempting to break the curse.

"Well, about that..." Yukino said as she began to fidget with her hands, showing how nervous she was, and pretty much confirming that she was in fact NOT an S-Class mage.

"Right, so you aren't a village, otherwise you would be affected by the curse, so either you are someone here for the quest or one of the dark mages that turned on the rest and was locked up because of that," Gray said as he glared at the girl, wanting to know whether she was with them, or against them. Erza's hand conveniently drifted to the sword on her belt, resting her hand on the hilt, drawing Yukino's eyes to the blade.

"Okay! Okay, so, I may have heard about the curse and faked being an S-class mage?" Yukino said, towards the end of the statement her tone turned inquisitive, making the statement become a question, realizing she was technically talking to a council official and the poster person for following the rules.

"And why would someone want to sneak onto a cursed island full of demons, tasked with destroying the moon for what? A few million jewels? Surely there are easier quests to complete and still yield a comparable amount." Erza said as she looked at the girl, confused as to why someone would take such a risk. Lucy, on the other hand, stared at Yukino with wide eyes, knowing exactly what was different about the reward, especially since that was the very reason she was taking the risk herself!

Erza glared at the young girl, before requipping a length of rope making Gray stare in shock, unaware she would go that far with someone out of the guild that isn't even an adult. Natsu on the other hand, simply snapped his fingers, making the rope burn to ashes in seconds, making sure not to burn Erza in the process, who glared at him, curious as to how he wanted to handle the situation. Lucy stared at Yukino in shock, while _Stellar Mages_ may not be rare, the amount that would risk their life to chase after A _Zodiac Key_ , knowing they would be able to use are few and far between.

"So you were just waiting for us to turn our backs, so you could sneak off, go to your camp, grab your keys and try to beat the quest, letting us deal with Deliora since that is our main objective?" Natsu asked as he crossed his arms and leaned back making Yukino bite back a retort, as he was right. Erza quickly realized Natsu had a plan and stayed out of the situation, curious to see how he would handle it. Gray, was just glad Erza didn't tie the girl up, nobody deserves that! She sometimes forgets about you!

"That may have been my first thought..." Yukino admitted as she looked at the ground, ashamed she was going to essentially steal from people who saved her from the cell. Lucy, was still shell shocked that she ran into someone else, who potentially possess another of the _Zodiac Keys. '_ There's no way I'll be able to get away anyway, plus, he already knows I camped out somewhere?! But how!' Yukino thought as she looked at the pinkette, confused as to how he knew what she was going to do.

 _"_ And, you do realize accepting a quest above your rank, especially an S-Class quest is technically illegal right? When not accompanied by an S-Class mage" Natsu said as he stared the young girl in the eye, confused as to why she would go to such lengths to do something she might not able to follow through with. The other mages metaphorically stood back, realizing Natsu was reaching a certain point, and wanted to see what it was.

"Well, you haven't brought those cuffs out yet, so what do you want exactly?" Yukino said as she crossed her arms, expecting to be able to weasel her way out of it, complete the quest and get the key.

"First off, I found your camp," Natsu said as he then requipped a shabby green tent with the stakes being actual sticks, and an only leather brown bag carrying her personal items making everyone stare at him in shock, as to why he did not tell them he had it. "And, I have your keys," Natsu said as he requipped two of the illustrious _Zodiac Keys, Pisces, and Libra,_ and two of the silver gate keys _Polaris and Deneb_.Once Yukino saw her keys she immediately lunged for them, crossing the distance faster than the others thought her capable, but that still wasn't fast enough to get her keys out of his possession.

"Let me make this clear, I will not break them, and I do not intend to keep them from you, however, I do have a few conditions, as to not hand you into the council," Natsu said firmly as he caught her hand, still holding the keys inches away from her.

"I'm listening..." Yukino said as she stared at her keys, ensuring they aren't some illusion or fake before she looked him in the eyes.

"First off, you will stay with me, to prevent you from going off on another S-Class quest, you will be under my custody. But do know, you are not a slave, but a friend. I will help train your magic, and in return, you won't try to run off. If you wish to join our guild that is up to you. Now, as a _Stellar Mage_ Promise me you won't run off." Natsu said as he stared her straight in the eyes, making everyone else look at him in shock. 'Natsu's taking an apprentice?' Gray thought as he looked at Natsu in shock, surprised to see him doing so much just to make sure she doesn't go and hurt herself.

'How will he train and strengthen her Celestial Spirit Magic?' Lucy thought as she looked at Natsu, curious as to whether or now he had any more magic up his sleeves. Yukino mulled over his proposition, 'Roof over my head, food to eat, no more running, and I'm going to be trained by a Wizard Saint?' She considered, trying, and failing to find any reason to reject his terms, as the alternative is going to jail or a fine.

"I promise I won't run off, and I look forward to training with you," Yukino said as she stared into Natsu's eyes, showing her sincerity as she took her keys, glad to finally hold them in her grasp once more. 'I'm glad Natsu found me, because if this was up to Erza... this would be a lot different. I'm curious though... why offer to train me? To house me? He hasn't even seen my potential, and yet he offers to care for me? Why is he so nice,' She thought as she continued to stare into his eyes, trying and failing to unlock the secret that is Natsu Dragneel.

Yukino wasn't the only one confused, as all his guildmates were staring at him as if he was crazy, especially since he apparently asked Mira out. 'It was nice to know him before he died.' Gray thought as he sent a small prayer for Natsu, hoping that Mira feels a tad merciful. Lucy was confused, curious as to why he would go so far for someone he doesn't know. Erza simply watched in amazement, seeing Natsu act almost like Makarov would, doing something for a stranger simply to ensure they don't fall down a slippery slope.

Unfortunately, their conversation was stopped short, especially all the questions Lucy had for her were put on the sidelines and the ground began to shake, and a large scratching noise could be heard from the direction of the temple, making everyone's head shoot up, shocked to see a purple light begin to glow from the top of the temple. 'Shit' Was the thought going through everyone's heads as they watch the mages prepare to collect moonlight, meaning there might only be a short few hours until Deliora's revival, or, his final tomb.

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And onto The Reviews...

Guest a from Chapter 21- I realized that by asking questions, and by making polls, there really isn't much surprise or shock value in this story that will make you gasp or laugh. So, I thought I would throw you guys for a loop, but yeah, it isn't Lisanna. Sorry to all the people I disappointed, but, I wouldn't just up and chose a girl that isn't in the list of 5 I gave earlier. I had to choose a girl after Tenrou because while the Edolas arc is far away, the GMG is a lot further. Sorry.

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 **Do realize the beginning of this chapter would have only taken about a minute in real time. I'm just a really descriptive person.**

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 **Sorry if Yukino seem's a little OOC, I'm not really familiar with her personality or attitude, I even read the wiki, so, here goes nothing!**

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 **I'm not one for a damsel in distress, we already have one of them in this fanfic and I would hate to have to write another. :P**

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This is everyone that is in the harem. Final list.

1\. Milliana

2\. Kagura Mikazuchi

3\. Sherry Blendy

4\. Lucy Heartfilia

5\. Ikaruga Ryu

6\. Wendy Marvell

7\. Erza Scarlet

8\. Sayla

9\. Kyoka

10\. Sorano Agria

11\. Yukino Agria

12\. Meredy

13\. Ultear Milkovich

14\. Brandish Myu

15\. Dimaria Yestia

16\. Hisui E Fiore

17\. Irene B

18\. Juvia Loxar

19\. Lisanna Strauss

20\. Minerva O

21\. Jenny Realight

22\. Mirajane Strauss

23\. Cana Alberona

24\. Ur Milkovich

25\. Celestial Spirits

\- Aquarius

-Libra

 _-_ Opichius

-Aries (MAYBE)

-Virgo (MAYBE)


	23. Who Will Prevail?

It doesn't look like I'm going to be doing the Daphne Arc, so, give me some ideas in a PM or a Review! I have some ideas since it will most likely happen after ToH, let's see, shall we? And onto the story!

The mages looked at each other in shock, confused as to how they would already be able to collect moonlight, to the point they would be able to start the ritual already, even though the sun is still up.

'How could I be so stupid!' Erza thought as she clenched her right fist in anger, forgetting something so simple about how the world works around them. 'Even as the sun begins to set, the moon can still be seen, just not as easily,' she remembered as everyone around her looked to her, making her both proud and anxious that even a Wizard Saint has faith in her abilities as a leader.

"Alright, we don't exactly know, who, how much, or what we are dealing with right now," Erza said as she looked, everyone in the eyes, Yukino included. Unfortunately, her opening statement didn't instill much confidence, as it said they are pretty much clueless, and therefore can't prepare for anything. "So, as a Unit, we will enter the temple, use force to disable and knock out the enemy mages, and then, we will see to stopping the ritual, for good," Erza said as she turned around, taking long strides as she lead the short way from the barracks to the temple, trepidation bubbling in her chest as she realized that the mages in her care, the village on the island, and possibly even the fate of Ishgar rested upon her, armored shoulders.

"So, uh, since the Official Council request asked for Fairy Tail mages to deal with the demon... I can go wait with the villagers right?" Yukino asked hesitantly, afraid to even try and stand up to the might of Deliora... And the Man that goes by the name _Cold Emperor_. Yukino and the rest of the mages were following Erza, some of them trying their hardest to keep the pace while others simply walked along, use to such a speed.

"No," Natsu cut in, interrupting Erza before she could even begin to convey her answer, "You are under my care from this moment forward, therefore you are with me," Natsu said making Lucy, Gray, and Erza look at him in confusion, as he is the one designated to stall Deliora under the circumstances that he cannot be defeated, if he gets released at all.

"There's no way she can stand against that Demon! You have to be kidding me?!" Gray shouted, annoyed that this nobody, in some sense of the word, is supposed to help fight, and exterminate a demon that killed his master, someone who he still believes is stronger, or at least a better fighter than Natsu, partially because she is someone he strives to be, and because he had always believed that Ice could be stronger than Fire, but now... He's not so sure, he never knew that fire could have so many different properties and abilities, making him curious if he could find different types of ice as well.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that!" Natsu said as he scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, making everyone look at him in shock, even Yukino who was now worried about the fact she essentially put her life in his hands.

"But yeah, when Deliora does get free, and if I can't kill him, I'll set up a barrier after you guys get out and escort the villagers away," Natsu said as they continued at a brisk pace towards the temple, knowing that since the moon hasn't fully come out, that they are still preparing the ritual, and have nowhere near enough moon power to melt the rest of the ice.

"You cocky flame headed bastard!" Gray shouted as he rushed forward gripping Natsu's shoulder roughly before violently turning him around so that he could tell straight into the pinkettes face.

"You think you're so good that you can not only cast a barrier but fight Deliora at the same time!" Gray shouted as he looked Natau in the eyes, worried as to who will be left standing when the moon comes out.

"Look, Gray... I get that you're worried, but I'm not going to be powering the barrier... All of you are." Natsu said as he looked at them, making all of them curious as to what he meant. "We're going to set up a few layers of barriers," Natsu said as he continued forward. "If I can't kill him, Erza, you will use your adamantine armor. Gray, you'll make an ice wall. Yukino, you can't create some sort of barrier or field can you?" Natsu asked as he looked at his charge, curious as to her capabilities and prowess since he already knew her key set.

"Hmm... Libra has control over gravity?" Yukino said uncertainly, unsure as to whether increasing the gravity of the battle field would actually be useful. All the Fairy Tail Mages looked at Yukino appraisingly, knowing just how useful gravity magic could be, and understanding more and more why Natsu was so hell bent on helping her, which will hopefully lead to her joining the guild.

"Hmm, alright. Yukino, you're in charge of debris." Natsu said as he looked at Lucy, "Hopefully, Happy has found your keys by now." Natsu said, giving Lucy a little hope, realizing that she hadn't seen the sadistic cat in quite some time, however, that also means he hasn't found her keys yet. Yukino, just looked at Lucy in shock, as this is the third _Stellar Mage_ she has met, ever.

"Wait, wait wait! You're saying she's a celestial mage too!" Yukino shouted in shock, annoyed since this means that there are probably less and less Zodiac keys without a contract, meaning she might lose her dream of having a contract with all twelve. While they were talking, Happy sneaking crept upon them, his black shozoku granting him more camouflage than his blue fur ever would have. He attempted to walk up and scare Lucy, only to get a stern glare from Erza, making him hang back before he flew onto Natsu's shoulder, scared of the temperamental red head. When Lucy saw him, she looked at him hopefully, praying upon everything that is holy that he had found her keys, only to be disappointed when he glumly shook his head, making her euphoria die down once more.

Just as Gray was about to answer Yukino question, he was quickly shut up by Erza, who realized that on the other side of the trees in front of them, was the temple. "Silence, we're here," Erza said annoyed that they were worried about something considerably trivia with such risks and responsibilities bearing down on them.

Everyone quieted down, and unfortunately, due to all the stress, nobody noticed Natsu's slip up, as he already predicted Deliora's freedom.

Erza quietly held up her hand, as she requipped into the _Armor of the Lizard Queen_ , before motioning for everyone to stay back as she goes forward to see if the coast is clear, making Natau roll his eyes as he would have smelled, or at least heard anyone approaching. Erza quietly returned two minutes later, having had gone around her guildmates to make sure nobody was following them either. Just as she was about to approach her unsuspecting guild mates, Natsu's head turned around as he looked her in the eyes, making her confused as he cowl had no eye holes, whether using magic circles for sight.

She quietly deactivated her camouflage, scaring Yukino who was unfamiliar with the properties of that armor, fortunately, she didn't scream too loudly. As her scream was quickly muffled by Erza's scaly hand, making her shudder at the rough, but smooth, scaly texture to her glove on top of her lips.

Natsu gestured everyone forward as he leads the way through the brush, making the purple glow at the top of the temple visible to everyone, making Gray clench his hands in anger, furious that _The Cold Emperor_ would go to such lengths to revive a demon that cannot be controlled or contained without sacrifice. The rest of his team were more indifferent, having had not experienced the pain he had wrought.

Natsu quietly gestured Yukino forward, having a fun, and quick idea as to how to scale the temple, remembering Libya's control over gravity. Yukino hesitantly walked forward, a little concerned as to what the absent minded Wizard Saint had in mind, and was even more put off when he gestured that he wanted to whisper something into her ear, while the rest of the Fairy Tail mages rolled their eyes in annoyance. Due to a scathing glower from Erza, who was annoyed at the time being wasted, Yukino promptly shot her head forward, her mind prepared to receive whatever nonsensical childish thing Natsu wanted to tell her.

She shivered when she felt his breath on her neck and ear, feeling a heat rush through her body from his sheer proximity, the hormones running through her maturing body only magnifying the sheer alluring presence Natsu's confidence and kindness exuded, making him quite the attractive person.

"Summon _Libra,_ and ask her to decrease the gravity around us so we can float to the top," Natsu whispered, his voice husky and deep sending yet another shiver through her body, making Gray look at her weirdly while the other girls simply looked in every which way but towards the two, understanding exactly what Yukino was experiencing, but also wanting to be close to him as well, even if they weren't aware of their desires.

Yukino was surprised as to the logic behind the request, making her curious as to just who this man is, to be equally intelligent and stupid all at the same time, without fail.

"Hai!" Yukino answered breathily, even her voice was susceptible to Natsu's charm and heat, making even more confused, not understanding why she is suddenly sick. She pulled her keys out, making Lucy watch in shock while Erza nodded her head, finally catching onto Natsu's plan when she specifically grabbed the weighted key, holding it out in front of her as she prepared to chant the summoning incantation.

" _Gate of the Scales! I Open Thee! Libra!"_ Yukino shouted as she swung her arm to the side, making a jade green huge magic circle appear in front of her, completely dwarfing her small stature. The sound of a doorbell could be heard as the magic circle erupted in a flash of light, making Gray and Erza shield their eyes, unfamiliar to the pure white flash that occurs when summoning a spirit.

Tanned hands reached out of the blinding white, a mahogany leather band covering her full fore arm, straight to her elbow. Golden rings were on three fingers of each hand, with string attach each ring to a scale platform, once again enforcing the iconic symbol of balance. The flash receded, revealing more and more of what to be an attractive woman. Slender, but muscled arms with a thin gold band affixed upon each of her triceps, that were attached to slim shoulders and a large bust, held within a green and yellow spaghetti strap bikini with a yellow frill below her melons.

Her face covered by a white cloth, with the _Libra_ symbol emblazoned on it with mahogany paint, leaving only her steel gray eyes visible to onlookers. Her hair is done up in an ox horn style, leaving her black bangs to frame her face, with a black spike of hair going down her nose. She had a red and yellow abstract triangle headband on. She has a green loin cloth with a yellow stripe at the bottom barely preserving her modesty, with white pom-poms at her waist, separating the front, and back. She has a mahogany wrap similar to her forearms, on her shin, spanning from foot to knee. She has on a simple pair of black sandals, making it appear that she is displaying as much skin as magically possible without being indecent, or tarnishing her modesty.

She strikes a pose, making Yukino proud of her friend's confidence, while Lucy stared at the spirit, having had never seen a _Celestial spirit_ that isn't her own, and realizing how silly it can look some times when they have their abstract personalities and weird poses. 'I don't look like that... Right?' Lucy asked scarily, the confidence and pride basically oozing off of Yukino, simply due to a summoning alone, making her worried as to the experience of the white haired girl. The woman, Libra, quickly scanned her surroundings and was suspicious to see four mages of varying skill levels and power surrounding her caster, making Libra worried as to the possible fight ahead.

Luckily, Yukino recognized the squint on her spirits face, remembering it from times they had to fight off bandits while traveling. She quickly darted forward, lowering her spirits hand and preventing her from casting a spell. The spell was canceled not because of Yukino's interference, but because it was Yukino interfering making Libra tilt her head in confusion while Yukino began to explain the situation, with the quiet spirit simply nodding her head in acknowledgment rather than vocalizing her agreement.

'She's actually... Quite cute,' Natsu considered as he looked at the spirit resembling an exotic belly dancer, watching as she silently absorbed the knowledge regarding their current situation, curious as to whether she would remember everything or not, including personalities and identities.

"Wait! Libra, don't! These are... Well." Yukino considered as she looked at the hopeful face from Lucy to the uncaring 'what we'll look from Gray to the scary glare from Erza, daring her to say anything other than friends. She looked to Natsu, only to see him analyze Libra, everything from her muscular structure to her hygiene. "These are my new friends! And this is Natsu! We're going to be staying with him, he'll also help train us!" Yukino told her spirit excitedly, glad to have someone that can actually take care of her... So she doesn't have to always be on guard, scared that everyone is going to hurt, or use her anymore... Ever since _Sorano_...

Libra, once hearing that the pinkette was going to be training them, quickly looked at him, curious as to if there is anything she could actually learn from him, or if he was just an arrogant prick trying to take advantage of Yukino. She looked at h from head to toe, noticing his pink with black tipped hair, onyx eyes, and slightly enlarged canines. He was wearing a long black cloak, that his everything from sight, except his left right shoulder, which displayed a crimson red _Fairy Tail Emblem_ _._ His arms were obviously well muscled, not too much like a body builder, but the kind of toning that comes from years of hard work and training. He had a black leather wrap on his right fore arm, that even went around to wrap around his middle finger, covering his palm. What she was most surprised about, was the _Wizard Saint Emblem_ on the front of his jacket.

And with a flick of her wrist, the gravity doubled, A slightest of increase, yet enough for everyone to look at Libra in curiosity. She doubled it again, and again. By sixteen times the normal gravity, Lucy was on her knees. Erza and Natsu showed no signs of pain or effort, while Gray and Happy were barely moving, conserving energy.

Fortunately for Lucy and Yukino, Libra took pity on them, removing them from her field of power as she continued her test, continually doubling the field of gravity, curious to see just how strong Yukino's friends were. By thirty-two times normal gravity, Gray attempted to use his ice magic to form braces, earning points for creativity, but the shattered due to the sheer force. By sixty-four times the normal gravity, Gray was out for the count,l. Happy, due to his smaller size, experienced less gravity, therefore enabling him to last longer. Erza requipped out of her iconic _Heartz Kreuz_ armor, the weight of the metal bearing her down.

By one hundred and twenty-eight times normal gravity, Happy was down, his lungs barely able to draw breath due to the sheer force of gravity, Libra instantly removed the gravity, as it would have begun to break his bones, his heart unable to beat. The instant she removed the gravity, Lucy rushed over, feeling a mixture of pride and annoyance as she heard him gasp for breath. Both Yukino and Libra were surprised that the small blue cat was able to last so long,

Libra quickly put her focus back on the two mages left standing. Erza had begun to sweat but was still standing strong. And by two hundred and fifty-six times the normal effect of gravity Libra was clearly struggling to keep the field up, the constant, exponentially increasing output putting stress on Libra's Magic container. Erza's muscles had begun to shake in exertion, struggling to stay standing. After a few moments of struggling, Erza took her sword out of the scabbard, before stabbing it into the ground, hoping to have some semblance of stability, only to watch in shock as the whole sword immediately sunk into the ground, up to the hilt as she quickly fell over, losing her balance. Natsu was clearly feeling the effects of the gravity by now, his stance widening slowly to increase his stability. Libra, having had measured the mages capabilities enough, canceled the gravity field, not wanting to be out of magic for whatever reason Yukino summoned her for.

When the non-S-Class mages including looked to Libra for some sort of explanation, they were annoyed to just see her nod her head in approval, glad that Yukino finally had friends that can and would protect her, meaning she wouldn't have to worry so much about the young girl. After having wasted over five minutes for Libra's small test, Yukino turned to her spirit, finally about to ask her to do what she was summoned for.

"Libra, can you please decrease the gravity around us, so that we can jump to the top of that temple?" Yukino asked as she bowed to Libra, making everyone look at Lucy, curious as to why she never showed her spirits that much respect, instead of yelling and bartering with them. She simply blushed, waving them off making them turn to Libra, who had put her right hand on the platinum haired girls left shoulder, making Yukino straighten up as a magenta purple magic circle flashed in front of Libra, before the mages around her started floating upwards, the lack of gravity allowing them to float freely, instead of being restricted to the ground.

Within seconds the Fairy Tail mages including Yukino and Libra were half way through the top, Libra shaking slightly due to the amount of magic it took to reduce the normal gravity field, right after putting it at over five hundred times the natural gravity. All of this magic horseplay made Libra quite tired and depleted. The higher the Fairy Tail Mages got, the brighter and clearer the purple glow got. And in only ten more seconds they were able to reach the top. Natsu and Erza swung their arms out like they were fishing, making Lucy and Gray look at them as if they were idiots until they noticed the two S-Class mages had moved forward, just as if they were swimming on land, without the water... Not one to be left out, or out done. Happy swung his arms out as well, having had recovered from Libra's gravity a few minutes ago, and resorted to seeing just how long his father could go for, proud that he was barely affected by the time he was out.

The first thing they could see, was what looked to be hundreds of people, gathered around a large circular moon-shaped hole in the ground which appeared to be the source of the glowing purple light. All of them wearing identical cloaks with a large purple moon emblem on the back of every cloak. Behind the thinnest section of cloaked cultists, was a large throne made of rock and bone, with skulls on each shoulder and a necklace of ribs at the headrest. Standing around the throne were the same mages from inside Deliora's cavern. The pink haired woman, Sherry, was standing closest to the throne, her left hand resting on the arm rest, almost as if she was trying to hold hands with the mysterious man, sitting in the chair. The blue haired man, Yuka, was currently sitting cross legged with his eyes closed, probably meditating, gathering magic for a fight, whether with them or with the demon down stairs is another question altogether. Tobi, bless his heart, was already helping with the ritual, joining the endless hundreds of men, women, and children even, all part of the ritual, collecting the magic from the moon to release the demon.

Erza had her sights trained on the green haired masked man hiding behind, to the left of the throne, curious as to whether she is truly the child of Ur, and if so, how is she on the council, while still being part of this whole mess? 'I'm aware that some of the people on the _Magic Council_ are still active mages, but how could a council official actively impact the situation for possibly years on end without being found out, Masquerading as a weird man...' Erza thought as she continued to stare at the makes mage, trying to remember what type of magic they used.

Gray's eyes were trained on someone else, the man in the intricate metal mask, with horns coming out the side, his chin guarded by a metal jaw, the teen framing his face. 'This _Cold Emperor_... It can't be! I never wanted to believe my premonition to be true!' Gray thought as he willed his body towards the temple roof, promoting the others to follow him. Their movements did not go unnoticed, as Yuka opened his eyes and stood up, calling Tobi over, removing the dog man from the ritual into the upcoming unavoidable fight.

"Is this truly the best Fairy Tail could offer?" The _Cold Emperor_ asked rhetorically, adding emphasis on Fairy Tail, as if to suggest that they were all below him, and not even worth his time. "A Stupid Cat, a useless blonde, a man hated by his guild, an upright bitch, a failure of a pupil and a young girl too stupid to realize she's far out of her league?" He said as he looked at each and every mage opposing him, and not finding much reason to worry, not only outnumbering them but honestly believing that each of his friends could easily dispose of them. Each and every comment he made of the Fairy Tail Mages, infuriating or insulting them, preying upon their insecurities or weaknesses.

"How... How dare you!" Gray shouted as he ran forward, slamming his right hand upon the temple roof, using his magic, hoping to incapacitate at least half of the mages performing the ritual, only to watch in shock as a white barrier flared up, becoming. a dome as it grew upwards, encasing and protecting the mages performing the ritual. The moment his deadly wave of ice came in contact with the barrier, the spell was immediately canceled, making even Natsu stare in shock, never having seen an anti mage of such caliber before.

Yuka could be seen walking forward, his right arm held upwards, his plan out towards the barrier, making it quite obvious that he was the one responsible for the barrier. "I had once believed that Fairy Tail was a respectable guild, even with their own quirks. But, for you to interfere with our plans, makes me furious." Yuka said, his tone betraying his words, not a hint of anger whatsoever could be seen, be it in his face, or his eyes. Sherry and Tobi could be seen trailing behind him, joining him in the fight while the Cold Emperor stayed still, prepared to watch his friends decimate the mages opposing him.

"Zalty, aid us in removing Fairy Tail from Galina Island, _permanently."_ The _Cold Emperor_ declared making the masked man hesitantly step forward, and out from behind towards the mages. Gray clenched his hands in anger, as his chest rose and fell with increasing pace, trying control the anger building up inside of him, remembering that _cold_ , emotionless voice from his past. 'There's no mistaking that now...' Gray thought in anger as he attempted to stare his old friend, his brother, in the eyes. As Yuka entered into the dome with his friends behind him, they were shocked to see them unaffected by the anti magic barrier. Once they got to the middle of the barrier Gray lowered down into his Ice make stance, as an icy aura begging to surround him as he prepared for the upcoming fight.

To everyone's shock, as soon as Yuka, Toby, Sherry and Zalty who was still a few paces behind, the floor under the Fairy Tail mages plus Yukino began to fall, making everyone look down, surprised to see the ground the stood on cut into a square, allowing them to descend to a lower level. Natsu, Gray and Erza were standing calmly while Yukino and Lucy began to panic, almost falling off before Natsu and Gray cemented them down using their respective maker magics, clamping their feet to the ground and making a circular cage of fire and ice respectively around them to hold onto as the fell, ensuring they wouldn't fall over or break their ankles. Gray and Natsu made eye contact for a split second before they used their magic to make chains spanning from the edges of their platform to the ceiling of the roof above them, violently halting their descent.

"What... THE HELL! **WAS THAT!"** Lucy screamed as she held onto the icy supports surrounding her body, scared out of her mind, and curious all at the same time as to how this even happened, let alone how something as simple as that could have taken one or two of them out. Erza simply looked up, seeing all the enemy mages on each side of the square hole, looking down upon them as if they were insects.

The magic supports that held Yukino and Lucy upright slowly disappeared as Natsu and Gray jumped off the platform, with Erza following them while Yukino stood, shaking, realizing just how out of her depth she truly was, realizing that even if they hadn't captured her during her sleep, that she still would have been powerless before them.

"Lucy, Happy, go to the village, actually, take Yukino with you too, protect the villagers and escort them to higher grounds, safer grounds," Natsu said as he looked up, noticing all the mages opposing them. He requipped his Wizard Saints medallion before giving it to Happy, knowing it could be used to help convince the villagers to move faster.

"Wait! I thought I was supposed to stay with you? Yukino shouted as Happy flew towards her, grabbing her by the back of her shirt, moving her short cape to the side so that he didn't strangle her. Natsu, without even breaking eye contact with the enemy mages, flung his arm out to the side, sending a fireball into the wall, instantly shattering the brittle wall of the temple, making a path to the outside, and more importantly, to the village.

"The _Cold Emperor_ is sending the dog man, Tobi, to the village. you are to stop him." Natsu said as Gray begun preparing his magic, determined to settle this score with his old rival, his _first_ rival. Natsu walked towards Gray, wanting to ask one question before he went to fight the _Cold Emperor._

"Yes, Sir!" Happy said as he picked Yukino up before flying out the door before turning back, waiting for Lucy to follow. She was standing on top of the platform, right about to jump off before it literally disappeared making her fall a few feet to the ground, surprisingly landing on her feet, even if her hands had to catch her self before hitting the ground. Lucy blushed, before standing up, wiping her hands on her skirt before running after Happy, prepared to fight and protect the village, even if she didn't have her magic.

"Gray... I have one question for you, and I need you to answer it honestly..." Natsu said in a very serious tone, the most serious they have ever heard him in fact, making Gray turn to Natsu, curious as to what the Wizard Saint wanted to ask of him.

"You do realize that the council request is an extermination mission, meaning that we have to kill Deliora right?" Natsu asked in a soft tone, making Erza unable to hear him as Gray's eyes widen, realizing that he will have to relive his nightmare once again.

"Wait... So we let them set him free? That's Insane!" Gray whisper shouted as he looked at Natsu, unsure what they were to do, possibly doom this whole island to destruction, or risk tarnishing their guild's reputation, not to mention failing a _Council_ request.

"No, but there's one thing I need you to do," Natsu said softly as he looked Gray straight in the eyes... "I need you, to freeze Ur's melted waters, so they don't run off to sea..."

"What the... What the hell do you mean?" Gray asked as he turned and grabbed him by the sleeve of his cloak, their noses less than a foot apart as Gray stared into Natsu's eyes, befuddled as to what Natsu was talking about.

"Just do it!" Natsu growled as he tore Gray's arm off of his sleeve before turning to Erza and walking towards her, curious as to what she believes he should do next.

" _Ice Make Grappling Hook!"_ Gray yelled as he shouted in annoyance, making a chain of ice shoot out of his palm facing the ceiling, before it attached to the edge of the hole, before Gray shot up into the sky, doing a flip before he landed on his hands and knees on top of the temple once more.

"Lyon! You've gone too far!" Gray yelled as he stood up, standing still, waiting for the others to go after Erza and Natsu.

"It seems that the lesser student of Ur believes he can beat me... Go and defeat the Titania and the Salamander," Lyon said as he stood up for the first time, making the mages performing the ceremony stand up, and walk backwards, clearing a space for them to fight, surprising Gray at just how confident Lyon was, that he would completely stop the ceremony to fight him.

Lyon's statement prompted Zalty, Yuka and Sherry to jump down through the hole, and Gray was surprised when Zalty slightly, almost unnoticeably flinched at Ur's name, making him even more convinced that Zalty was actually Ultear, but that slight hesitation cost him, as he missed the giant serpent made of ice sneak up behind him, until it tail whipped him in the back, slamming him towards Lyon.

" _Ice Make: Rhino!"_ The _Cold Emperor_ or Lyon said as he swung his right arm forward, forming a huge, six-foot tall animated rhino out of ice in an instant, that charged forward with its head lowered, slamming its Gigantic two-foot long horn into Gray, slamming him to the ground, creating a crater in the roof, but not breaking through to below.

"This, shall be a cake walk, watch, as I prove that I, the _Cold Emperor,_ am not only the strongest disciple of Ur, but, the strongest ice Mage." Lyon declared as the cultists around him cheered, glad, as it is to be his strength that shall vanquish Deliora... For Good.

 **Down on the Second Floor**

Erza simply watched as Sherry, Yuka and Zatly fell to the ground and was surprised to see that Yuka didn't bother to slow his fall, slamming to the ground and landing on his feet, creating craters. around his body, but he showed no pain whatsoever, which proved just how strong he could be.

Zalty, on the other hand, just fell slowly, before gently, and silently landing on the ground, a stark contrast from Yuka's violent, and rough landing.

" _Doll Attack, Adam's Hand!"_ Sherry yelled as she fell, causing the rubble on the ground to float before joining together, forming a hand out of rock that stopped at the wrist. The hand stood up on it's fingers, before it sprung upwards, before turning over and catching Sherry gently in its palm before it fell down, landing on the cut off wrist, letting Sherry stand up as the hand crumbled to dust, as she walked forward, standing beside Yuka as Zalty hung back, letting the other two mages do the fighting.

"Hey, Erza, I think I have an idea... I think... I can prevent the moon drip from coming in contact with Deliora... Natsu said as he looked at Erza, making her nod her head, agreeing that would be the best course of action.

"I concur, hopefully, Gray will be able to defeat the Cold Emperor, and then it should be easy picking from there, but just in case he can't, the second line of defense is the best course of action." Erza thought out as she grabbed her sword from her scabbard, hoping to be able to defeat them with her sword alone, to preserve magic energy.

Upon hearing that Natsu thought he could prevent the moon's energy from touching the iced shell, or in other words prevent them from freeing Deliora, completely infuriated Sherry, and Yuka, and just granted them more of an incentive to fight strong, so that their decade long dream could finally be fulfilled. Once gaining approval from Erza, Natsu quickly made his exit through one of the side tunnels of the room, trusting that Erza will be able to hold her own, something that Yukino, and especially Lucy would not have been able to do so, if he is right...

"Sherry, Zalty... Please go and stop the Salamander, I will join you once I am finished here." Yuka said as he channeled his wave magic around his fists, making Erza curious as to how he thought he could fight her unarmed.

"When the Salamander threatens love, no holds shall be barred. Heed my words, he will be stopped" Sherry said as she begun to run after Natsu with the masked man following her, and before Erza was able to stop them, Yuka lunged forward surprising fast, throwing a right cross, forcing her to block it with her sword, and she was surprised as to how much force was behind the hit.

"I do hope you live up to your reputation, or all my training has been for naught," Yuka said with a smirk on his face before he jumped back, and bowing in respect,

"Let us do battle," Erza said as she bowed as well, curious to see just how strong this anti-mage is, especially since it is probably him who had blocked Natsu's sense of smell.

 **With Lucy, Happy and Yukino**

"So, uh, I guess we're supposed to protect the villagers?" Yukino asked as Happy continued to carry her with Lucy walking by their side as they trekked through the overgrown brush, that looks so much like a jungle.

"I guess?" Lucy replied as she looked to Happy, hoping that he knew more as to what Natsu intended. 'We have a flying cat with a secret, a young girl that we don't even know whether or not she can fight, and me. I'm useless without my keys, and yet Natsu expects us to fight off a dark mage and protect the village!' Lucy internally ranted, not wanting Yukino to be offset or panicked, even though Yukino might actually have more experience than herself.

"Look, I know you might be a little worried, but I am here to supervise you two, and if need be, help you." Happy said, actually sounding almost... smart, making Lucy stare at him in shock, quickly noticing that he has a personality like Natsu's, that they prefer to be nonchalant and joyful, but when push comes to shove, they can be a rock you can rely on to keep you steady and safe.

"Wait, so is this some sort of test or something?" Yukino asked, feeling surprisingly comfortable being carried from her shirt, before she looked around her, appreciating the beauty of nature around them, glad that there was still time before the upcoming fight.

"Well... I guess you could say that?" Happy says uncertainty, making Lucy stare at him, realizing that he can't lie well, at all.

"Right, let me guess. If we can successfully stop the dog man and move the village to the other side of the island, then we pass, and if you need to help us, we fail." Lucy asks rhetorically as they continued to walk through the colorful forest, already knowing exactly what the test was, making Happy skittish, as it was supposed to be a secret test.

"Wait, am I the only curious as to how Happy, a flying cat, will be able to help us fight?" Yukino asked making Happy scoff in annoyance, beginning to wonder why he wanted to keep it a secret before he remembered exactly why he wanted to keep it a secret. 'I swear, when I finally need to use it, it will be hilarious!' Happy thought, laughing manically internally, making the girls curious as to why he was so quiet.

"Right... you do realize that Natsu is the youngest mage to ever join the Wizard Saints? And the fastest to climb the ranks? You really think he would let me sit on the side, instead of training with him?" Happy asked rhetorically, making the girls eyes widen, curious as to just how strong Happy could be if he regularly trained with someone that strong.

"Wait, are you serious?" Yukino asked as she looked up at Happy, or at least tried to as she was currently being carried by the cat in question.

"Nope!" Happy said as he laughed, amused that he actually made them think that he was on par with Natsu. Lucy simply sighed, as she should have expected that Happy would make a joke like that, while Yukino sighed, hoping that maybe she could be that strong one day.

"Hey, so what was that metal thing that Natsu gave to you?" Yukino asked curiously piquing Lucy's interest, confused as to why Natsu would take the time to requip a pendant to give to Happy.

"It's Natsu's Wizard Saint Pendant." Happy said simply, making both girls silent, patiently waiting for him to elaborate. After a minute of walking in silence, Lucy sighed in annoyance before looking up at the sadistic cat, annoyed to see him barely able to keep a smile off his face, showing that he knew just how annoying it was for them.

Yukino was quickly beginning to realize just what type of a personality Happy had, feeling her whole body shake due to Happy's attempt to quell his laughter.

"Happy, can you please tell us why Natsu gave you his Wizard Saint pendant?" Yukino asked with a sigh, making Happy burst out into laughter. Fortunately, Lucy recognized where they were, so she knew that they have to put up with this for much longer, hopefully.

"Natsu gave us the Wizard Saint pendant because it's a symbol of urgency. It shows that he is using his power as a council official to make his request more legitimate." Happy explained making Lucy look up at him in shock, never having believed Natsu to be the type of person to force people to do things against their will.

legitimated he do that? That's terrible!" Lucy chastised as she glared at the blue cat, annoyed that they would flaunt their power to force people to do things, reminding her of her father who made people do everything for him, simply because he was rich.

"Would you rather people die? It's a last case scenario type of thing." Happy explained, having heard Natsu rant to Gramps about the exact same thing. Lucy then noticed that sun had almost finished setting before remembering that some of the strongest members of her guild were there, more importantly, her friends were fighting with all they had to make sure they didn't fail, which gave her the drive to fight just as hard.

"Oh, I guess..." Lucy replied as she looked at the ground, while Yukino simply stayed silent, hoping to learn more about the people she may be spending the next few months, or even years with. They continued to walk in silence for the next few minutes until the finally arrived at the village, glad to see it in tact and in one piece.

"Woah... That's a really big wall, I wonder how many people it takes to move that?" Yukino asked curiously as happy finally sat her down, making Lucy look at her curiously.

"Wait, you've never been here before?" Lucy asked in shock as she looked at the younger woman, curious as to how she tried to accept the quest otherwise.

"No.. I was... captured before I had the chance..." Yukino replied timidly while she crossed her arms over her chest, almost hugging herself while Happy flew over the wall, asking the watchmen to open the door for them.

"Oh, sorry..." Lucy replied almost as timidly, embarrassed that she didn't make the connection herself as the door opened, showing all the villagers gathered in front of the open door, hopeful smiles on their faces.

"Please... Tell us, will we suffer once more tonight?" Moka, the village leader asked hopefully making Lucy cringe while Yukino simply looked down, ashamed that they are going to have to not only disappoint him but tell them to leave their home. Happy was staying silent, curious to see just how they would handle the situation. After a few seconds of silence, Lucy quickly realized she would have to be the one to take charge since the villager's hope was decreasing exponentially every second they didn't answer.

"No, uh, you see! We're still trying to work on a way to destroy the moon, but, umm... We need to wait for the sun to come out, just to be sure. But, while we were trying to investigate for our council quest, we ran into a dangerous demon of Zeref!" Lucy declared making all of the villagers gasp in terror while Happy face palmed, annoyed that Lucy thought _That_ was the best way to evacuate them.

"But remember! We have the Sixth Wizard Saint with us! The Salamander shall rid you of the demon!" Lucy cried making the villagers stop panicking and cheer in pure elation, glad they won't die. Yukino, having seen what Lucy was trying to do, decided to join in.

"Yes! But, since the spell he will use is so strong! That he needs us to go to the other side of the island, otherwise we risk being turned to ash!" Yukino cheered making all of the villagers cheer, before they began to run out of the village, and towards the other side of the Island, away from the temple. The mages then followed the villagers out of their home, before stopping and watching them leave.

Happy quickly flew over to Moka, before handing him a magical flare he took out of his pack, making Moka look at him curiously.

"If anything happens, or someone gets hurt, please use this, just press this button and we will come help." Happy explained making Moka accept it very gratefully before he begun to lead the way out.

"Thank you!" The children cheered gleefully as they continued to move away from the village, making all of the mages smile, and watch them leave, ensuring they were safe before they were completely out of view. Happy then turned to Lucy and Yukino, a gobsmacked look upon his face making them laugh out loud.

"I... I can't believe that worked!" Happy yelled as he looked at them, making them agree, as it was pretty crazy.

"Neither can I," Tobi said as he walked out of the bush to the left of the large door, making Yukino jump in shock while Lucy screamed in fright, never having noticed him sneak up.

"Oh dear." Happy said as he flew over to a branch in a nearby tree, curious to see just how they would handle this.

* * *

The guest from Chapter 22 (And Everyone)- I'm flattered you have so much faith in my creativity as to write a new arc, that not only poses new challenges for our Fairies but to let them grow as people, together and individually. I will try to add Aries to the harem, but it might be hard, I'm not quite too sure, as I want Natsu to use a different approach for every different girl. With Cana, he was just there, even if she didn't want him to be. He and Mira were friends from the start. He brought Lucy to Fairy Tail. He stood up for Erza, not as a mage, but as a woman. And he helped Yukino by putting her on the right path. Sure, I could do that with every other girl, but, I like to change things up! Btw, Lucy will see Aquarius soon, within at least 2 chapters, depending on how long the up coming fight scenes are!

* * *

If it's not obvious, they were never part of Lamia scale before, and instead devoted their time to training. Upscaling Yuka wasn't even a choice for me, as it pissed me off as to just how uncreative Hiro Mashima was with Yuka's wave magic, which is now developed into anti-magic. Sorry, but, not sorry!

* * *

I'm not happy with the end of this chapter, well, the whole chapter really... but the length makes up for it... right?

* * *

Harem List (What did I get myself into xD). Mira is the First Girl in the Harem.

1\. Milliana

2\. Kagura Mikazuchi

3\. Sherry Blendy

4\. Lucy Heartfilia

5\. Ikaruga Ryu

6\. Wendy Marvell

7\. Erza Scarlet

8\. Sayla

9\. Kyoka

10\. Sorano Agria

11\. Yukino Agria

12\. Meredy

13\. Ultear Milkovich

14\. Brandish Myu

15\. Dimaria Yestia

16\. Hisui E Fiore

17\. Irene B

18\. Juvia Loxar

19\. Lisanna Strauss

20\. Minerva O

21\. Jenny Realight

22\. Mirajane Strauss

23\. Cana Alberona

24\. Ur Milkovich

25\. Celestial Spirits

\- Aquarius

-Libra

 _-_ Opichius

 _-Aries_

 _-Virgo_


	24. Fight for your Rights

And Onto the Story!

 **Natsu's PoV**

'Well, I'm definitely being followed' Natsu thought as he continued to jog down the tunnel towards Deliora, hoping that he can get there before someone be else does, because conducting the spell he had in mind while trying to fight off an attacker could be very dangerous, especially if they really know how to fight. Natsu kept his ears perked while he was jogging, checking to see if there was anyone directly following him, and weirdly enough, there wasn't.

'Crap, I probably took the long way!' Natsu thought as he began to sprint, making it appear as if he had simply disappeared, when in actuality he was moving faster than the normal eye could follow, causing a large gust of air to be formed from his "take off". It only took him a few more seconds of running at his inhuman pace in the darkness, finding it pointless to waste magic on making a light, when his eyes are those of a dragon; a magical being that tends to reside in caves.

'Almost there!' Natsu thought as he continued to sprint, thousands of hours spent training crafting his body to such an endurance that even running this fast did nothing to affect his endurance, almost as if it were a walk in the park. Seconds later Natsu finally appeared at the edge of a cliff, noticing an ethereal glow permeating from, and upon looking forwards, he was granted with the sight of Deliora, the demon of the hour.

"Well, time what I have to work with," Natsu sighed as he literally jumped off the cliff into the cavern below, jumping off the adjacent wall to ensure he didn't land on the demon before he landed on the ground, taking care not to land in any of the puddles of Ur, trying to respect her memory, by not stepping on her.

As he further examined the _Iced Shell_ and the water surrounding the demon, he realized that the demon wasn't that close to being free, having at least a foot or two of ice above his head, which was directly below the circular hole above, upon which the ritual is run. 'Wait, why hasn't the ritual started yet?' Natsu thought curiously as he looked upwards, closing his eyes to focus on his heating trying to tell what was going on above him.

'It seems like Gray is taking quite the beating, perhaps Gray is focusing on stopping the ritual while trying to fend off Lyon's attacks?' Natsu pondered before he quickly tilted his head to the right before his left hand shot up, catching the kick headed towards the head.

"Well, that wasn't very nice," Natsu said as he let go of the attacker's foot, realizing that this was Sherry who had been following him, making him curious as to why the anti-mage is fighting a swordswoman. 'Surely that isn't the best pair up?' Natsu considered as he ignored the girl behind him, infuriating her even further.

"I cannot allow you to stop the ritual! Deliora has taken too much from us to allow him to live!" Sherry cried with a lone tear rolling down her face, not nearly as confident to be stacked up against a man is just barely not part of the top five, especially since Zalty is yet to be seen. 'In the name of Love, even if I perish in this upcoming fight, I will fight until I die to ensure that Deliora cannot take any more lives and that _we_ will finally vanquish him!' Sherry thought determinedly, knowing just how low her chances were of losing, but not letting that be her focus, as she needs vengeance for her family, to protect her cousin.

Natsu, having had picked up on her emotional turmoil slowly turned around, looking the woman in the eyes, noticing how determined she was him from stopping Deliora's revival.

"What if I told you, I don't exactly plan on stopping the ritual?" Natsu told her with a sigh, making her eyes widen in shock, curious as to what he meant, but more importantly, noticing that she may be able to convince him their fight, ensuring Deliora's death.

"Please! Help us defeat Deliora!" Sherry cried as she fell to her knees, literally begging Natsu to aid in their in their fight, to ensure that the Demon took no more lives, including their own. Natsu was curious as to whether they were on opposing sides, 'At first, I thought that they wanted to release Deliora upon the world, to cause more destruction and death like Eisenwald, but now...' Natsu thought as he walked forward before kneeling in front of the prostrating pinkettes before putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Of course will help you," Natsu said gently making Sherry look up in shock, never having believed that they would be able a Saint to their cause, and thus meaning that the chances of any of them dying, especially Lyon, has drastically decreased.

"Thank you so much!" Sherry cried as she sprung onto her feet, and glimpsed onto him, making him fall over in shock with his hands held outward, confused as to what was happening right now, and what he should do. After a few seconds of having the bodacious pinkettes lying on him, he shook his head in amusement before he wrapped his arms around her, realizing that they didn't want to release Deliora for destruction, but to rid the world, for good, that was until Natau remembered his plan.

"Look, Sherry was it? I promise you, but, under one condition." Natsu said aloud making Sherry back off to look at him, no longer feeling the comfort warm embrace, but a cold over her heart, making her worried as to what the Saint wanted of them, or her...

"You have to call of the ritual, and let me release take care of the _Iced Shell_ in my own way," Natsu said aloud making Sherry's eyes widen in shock, having believed that moon drip was the only way to break the ice shell, and was confused that this Wizard Saint may hold more power that only the moon itself could.

'How?!' was the unanimous thought across not only Sherry's mind, but Zalty's mind as well, having had hid in the shadows to eavesdrop, curious as to whether she would have to aid in the battle or not, and was surprised that Natsu was essentially turning on his whole team, even if that was what the council request Specifically asked them to do. But she was still curious about one thing... 'How does he plan on removing iced shell, in a better way than _Moon Drip...'_

 **With Lucy, Happy and Yukino**

Lucy looked in shock, having had been snuck up on for the third year that day, her hands going to her waist, unwrapping the whip from around her waist, slowly unravelling the whip while keeping eye contact with the dog man, slowly becoming worried just how strong he was, if he was to sneak up on them like Natsu, something she didn't think even Gray could do.

"Originally, I was sent here to eradicate the village using any means necessary, but, I never thought I would run into you, little girl" Tobi said as he walked further out of the brush, towards Yukino and Lucy, making Yukino's fist clench in anger, looking at the man responsible for her imprisonment.

"Lucy! Don't let him touch you! His magic generates a paralyzing venom that he injects into his enemies!" Yukino warned as she jumped backward, pulling out her _Celestial Keys_ making Happy nod his head in approval, glad that they have already established some teamwork. 'I wonder which key she is going to use... She has four options,' Happy considered as he focused on Yukino since she is the one that Natsu will be training, plus, all he would see from Lucy is whip work.

"So the little girl wants to play," Tobi said as he smirked at the girls, extending his fingers before his claws extended, making Lucy's eyes widen, already realizing just how painful it would be to get even scratched by those claws, which only made her even more grateful that Natsu had given her this armor, which would help protect her from scratches like that. She held her whip with her right hand, quickly snapping it on the ground in front of her, unraveling it while testing its strength. 'I really owe Natsu, maybe he'll let me keep this since I lost my whip when the ship overturned,' Lucy pondered as she quickly looked to the side, curious as to whether or not Yukino was ready to fight. Their eyes met for a split second, her Lucious brown eyes meeting Yukino's chocolate orbs before both girls nodded in sync before they sprung into action.

'In going to want to play this smart, Most of my spirits aren't armored, so Tobi will be able to paralyze them with a simple attack... Of course!' Yukino considered as Lucy snapped her whip, getting prepared for the fight.

' _Open gate of the Ursa Minor, Polaris **,"**_ Yukino cried as she held her silver key in her hand before swinging in front of her torso, turning the key as if it was a lock, causing a large flash of light so bright it was like burning a huge magnesium tower at least thirty feet tall to appear, making Tobi hold his forearm over his eyes, to make sure his vision wasn't impaired while Lucy took a step back, having had never seen _Polaris_ before.

When the flash of light died down, everyone except Yukino gawked at the sight before them, having had never seen a celestial spirit that large. In front of them stood a large bear, that looked to be over twenty feet tall wearing pink armor plates upon his whole body, making it appear as if he was a metal bear. He had a large yellow bandana wrapped around his neck. A loud metallic roar could be heard ruminating from the bear, almost as if confirming that he was, in actuality, a metal bear, rather than a bear wearing armor.

'Interesting, it appears that Yukino summoned Polaris, hoping that his metal armor wouldn't be affected by Tobi's paralyzing venom, smart!' Happy internally complimented as he continued to watch the girls, having a feeling that between their combined intelligence and teamwork, that they would send Tobi back with a loss.

"Polaris, attack the dog man!" Yukino commanded making Polaris run forward, letting the sound of gears turning be heard as he lunged onto Tobi, who simply stepped to the side, or at least tried to because the metal burrs on the tip of the whip dug into Tobi's ankle making him grunt in pain before Lucy pulled with all her might, hoping to floor Tobi allowing Polaris to land a devastating hit upon the dog man.

Unfortunately, it appeared as if Tobi was expecting something akin to that, as he landed on his back before quickly rolling to the side, barely avoiding the devastating punch that Paris landed on the ground, causing a crater to form, the impact causing not only dust to fly into the air, but Tobi flew to the side due to the sheer strength Polaris put in the hit, making Lucy stare in shock, not believing that a Silver Key spirit could be stronger than Taurus.

Happy stated at the two girls, honestly surprised that they almost took Tobi out that quickly, making Happy think that perhaps Yukino and Lucy should become a team, Lucy's long-ranged attacks complimenting Yukino's short ranged Spirits attacks.

Once Tobi rolled out of the way, Lucy quickly realized that during his roll, he unwrapped the whip from around his ankle. Reached downwards he ripped the burrs out of his leg, gritting his teeth in pain, but pushing through it, never having had thought that these two girls could work so flawlessly together, especially since Lucy currently had no access to her magic. Once he fully removes the burrs from his leg he quickly looked at Polaris, only to see the bear struggling to remove his fist from the ground, having had embedded his arm up to the elbow in that single hit alone, making Tobi's eyes widen in shock before he turned to the girls, hoping to take one out, and therefore drastically increasing his chances of winning.

Tobi grabbed the whip in his hand before he pulled on it, beginning to quickly wrap it around his arm as he pulled Lucy forward, she dug her heels in the ground, hoping to stall Tobi long enough since Polaris almost had his arm free. Yukino quickly noticed Lucy's struggle before she turned to her spirit, noticing that even though Polaris made progress, his arm was still stuck.

"Polaris, use your other arm!" Yukino cried as she looked at Polaris, making him bring his left arm in before he used his long claws to dig at the ground surrounding hand, and within a few more seconds, his arm was completely uncovered. Turning around Polaris quickly noticed Lucy being pulled towards the dog man, making him rush at Tobi who then grasped the whip with both hands, before swinging them to his side in front of Polaris with all his might, literally swinging Lucy in the way of Polaris, stopping his charge since his target was Tobi, not Lucy.

Lucy screamed as she was swung in the air, noticing that she was about to run into Polaris before she felt a metal hand grab her waist, stopping her swing, and more importantly, stopping her from crashing into a tree, or Polaris. She felt uncomfortable, being suspended upside down by metal claws wrapped around her waist, especially since she wasn't able to keep an eye on Tobi, her head being directed behind Polaris.

Polaris, then rotated his hand from within its socket, spinning so that Lucy was held upright, before he slowly lowered his arms, allowing her to stand on her own two feet.

"Than-" Lucy began, grateful that she hadn't smashed into one of these trees, even if she was wearing this leather armor. Her appreciation was cut short as Polaris quickly grabbed her with his left arm before quickly carrying her above his head as he swung his right arm in front of him, blocking Tobi's left cross, that left deep indent within its robot arm, but, wasn't strong enough to completely pierce through the metal.

Tobi grit his teeth in pain as he jumped back, looking at his hand, and was distressed to see that his attack upon Polaris' metal armor had cracked his claws on his left hand, meaning that if he attempted another attack upon Polaris, his claws would break and essentially render that arm useless. Lucy, noticing the deep indents upon Polaris' armor paled at the thought of what would have happened if he had not moved her from the path of his attack, quickly losing the notion that her leather armor would have protected her from his venomous claws.

Polaris monopolized on Tobi's pause, his pain causing him to lose track of the battle, especially when Tobi noticed that the claw on his index finger had a deep crack in it, meaning that if he used it again it would break off.

Polaris lunged forward, his left fist held above him as he fell towards Tobi, who crossed his arms in an attempt to block, Quickly realized that it was a mistake to attempt to block it, sidestepped as quickly as he physically could, and unfortunately, due to the damage done to his leg from removing the burrs it slowed him to the point that Polaris' fist came in contact with Tobi's left shoulder, completely shattering his left shoulder making him roar in pain, the sheer volume of it causing all of the birds in nearby trees to fly into the sky, afraid of whatever could make a roar that loud.

Polaris' punch sent Tobi into the ground, causing a small crater to form as Lucy ran as fast she possibly could towards her whip, grabbing it before she turned around and watched the rest of the dust settle, unsurprised to see Tobi's body almost completely embedded in the ground while Polaris stood in front of him, patiently waiting for Tobi to either pass out, or get back up to fight more.

Happy gaped down at Lucy and Yukino, and then at Tobi, surprised that this was such a short fight, compared to how strong Tobi was, and was curious whether Yukino's spirits were really strong, or whether this was simply blind luck. It seemed that Tobi felt he could keep fighting as he attempted to get up, being careful not to jostle his left shoulder, before Polaris took a step forward before reaching down and pressing him against the ground, and holding him down, Polaris' base strength more than enough to hold down a man with a shattered shoulder.

Happy, seeing that Tobi was completely out of the fight, flew down towards the two girls who were looking at him hopefully, curious as to how he thought they performed as a team.

"I have to admit, your teamwork is good, now, let's tie him up and tend to his shoulder," Happy said as he flew down to the girls, taking a rest upon Lucy's shoulder as she walked towards Tobi, before flinching at how his shoulder worked, the socket itself having seemingly shattered, meaning that unless they were really creative, he won't be able to use his arm again, especially since Healing Magic of the calibre required is so rare. Lucy then walked towards Tobi, politely asking Polaris to adjust his grip on Tobi such that Yukino could tie his arm against his torso, instead of tying his wrists together since she didn't want to risk moving his arm any further.

Yukino walked towards her spirit, before resting her arm on his side, making him look down at her, curious as to what she needed of him.

"Thank you, _Polaris_ , Without you we wouldn't have been able to defeat Tobi, you are free to go now," Yukino said with a bow making Polaris nod his head before he reached down with his other arm, gently placing his claw against Tobi's injured shoulder causing him to howl in pain while Lucy darted forward, worried as to what Polaris had in mind for the injured man. A flash of bright light completely engulfed the surrounding area, making Happy, Yukino and Lucy shielded their eyes, lest they get eye damage, or become blind.

When the light died down, they could no longer hear Tobi's pained and labored breaths, as he could be seen calmly resting peacefull, and Polaris was nowhere in sight. Lucy turned to Yukino, shocked beyond belief that Polaris was capable of possibly using healing magic, only to see Yukino shocked as well, never having had seen Polaris do anything like that before. Happy wasn't as shocked, having had seen Makarov so similar things with light magic as well, making him curious as to why Polaris wasn't one of the Zodiac Keys.

"Okay, so our enemy is captured and restrained, even if his shoulder is still injured, do we wait here or move him?" Happy asked, hoping to guide the two _Stellar_ mages as to how they should handle their current predicament. Both Yukino and Lucy looked at each other, somehow having an immediate friendship that allows them to talk without making a single sound, something it seemed all women were capable of. 'Are all women born with a telepathic link, allowing them to talk to other women?" Happy pondered curiously as the two held a silent conversation for a few more seconds before turning to Happy.

"First we have to make sure that there is no damage done to his head or neck, making sure that it's safe to move him, right?" Lucy asked, already knowing the answer but wanting to make sure, as one wrong mistake can make so that Tobi can never walk again.

"Aye!" Happy concurred prompting Lucy to kneel down by Tobi's shoulder, gently feeling around from his head to his neck, making sure that all his bones were where they are supposed to be. Happy also flew down, grabbing a lacrima out of his bag before running it over Tobi's neck making Yukino look at him curiously.

"It's a special lacrima, when you run it over a broken bone it will beep, it's simply a device to let you know whether or not it is safe to move them." Happy explained as he hovered over the slumbering dog-man, making both girls sigh when he ran it over his neck without a single sound, but when Happy moved over to Tobi's shoulder both girls quickly began to cringe, hearing the lacrima continue to beep exponentially, and when it was held over his shoulder socket it was almost as if it were just a longer sound, letting them know just how bad it is.

"We really need to get this guy to a doctor," Happy sighed as both girls nodded in agreement, a permanent cringe left on their face due to the sheer damage one hit from Polaris' metal hands could do. Happy quickly flew into the village, look for some canvas or some cloth, and two spears or wooden poles, so that they could lift Tobi up and into the village for better treatment. The girls watched in curiosity, waiting to see what he was looking for, and after a few minutes Happy came flying back, carrying a premade stretched that he found in the healers hut, along with bandages and some wrap, to just support his arm, not daring to try and fix his arm, because if they do it wrong, then his arm could be immobile for the rest of his life.

Happy looked at the girls, before he reached out his tail, wrapping it around Tobi's neck while the girls grabbed one foot each, before they lifted him up, and onto the stretcher. The girls then each grabbed one edge of the stretched before picking Tobi up, their arms straining under the weight, before they entered the village, walking to the healer's hut with Happy leading them before setting him on the bed, grabbing the leather restraints and strapping his right arm down.

Happy then grabbed his bag off his back, searching through it with his right paw as he held it in his left, making the girls look at him in curiosity, unsure as to what he was looking for.

Happy then pulled out a lacrima identical to the one he gave to the villagers, making Lucy raise a brow in interest while Yukino's eye was trained on Tobi's shoulder, feeling partially guilty as she could have summoned another spirit, Deneb may have been able to... 'No, I can't think like that, He'll get better... right?' Yukino thought as she looked up to Happy, curious to see him tinkering with a lacrima.

A few seconds later the lacrima began glowing before Happy began talking through the lacrima.

"Moka, this is Happy from Fairy Tail, can you hear me?" Happy spoke out making Yukino sigh in relief, hoping that he was contacting a healer.

"This is Moka, yes, how in Gods name are you doing this?" Moka asked in astonishment, never having known that magic could do so much with magic and technology.

"Moka, your village healer wouldn't happen to use _Healing Magic_ would they?' Happy asked inquisitively making Lucy's jaw drop, realizing that they didn't actually have any technology, instead preferring to live off the land, building homes out of trees and clay rather than brick and mortar.

"Yes... How did you know?" Moka asked hesitantly, worried as to how he knew that making Happy sigh before turning to the girls and deactivating the microphone on the lacrima.

"Go to the temple and rendezvous with Erza, let her know that Tobi is okay and restrained" Happy said before looking back at the lacrima. Yukino looked at Lucy, unsure as to whether they should return to the temple, or stay with Happy. Lucy shrugged before leaving the room, not realizing that she was taking orders from a cat.

"We have an injured mage, I am going to come and escort them back to the village." Happy said making Moka sigh, trying to decide if that is a risk he should take.

"Sir, I promise that they'll be okay," Happy said with a sigh, annoyed that he has to be serious. Moka grumbled, still trying to decide whether or not this was a good idea or not until he remembered something, something very important.

"Wait, aren't you the cat?" Moka asked in shock, making Happy almost hiss in annoyance until another voice was heard on Moka's end.

"Moka," An older feminine voice sighed, "Someone's hurt, as a healer, a doctor, it is my duty to help them. I'm going." They said making Happy smile.

"Give me a few minutes, light the lacrima so I can find you!" Happy cheered before putting the lacrima back in his bag, before using his _Max Speed_ to fly off in the direction they left, staying a foot above the trees so that he could find them once they lit the signal flare.

 **Back with Erza and Yuka**

'I am surprised as to how well he rights' Erza internally praised as she blocked another cross before sidestepping a kick to the gut before she clamped his ankle between her waist and her left elbow, before she swung her sword down at the blue-haired martial artist who formed a solid shield out of his wave magic on his left arm, blocking her strike before he tried for a right cross that had Erza jumping back, therefore releasing his ankle from her hold.

"What's wrong Titania? Why haven't you used your magic yet," the bluenette taunted, making Erza sigh, knowing that one well-placed hit with his wave magic may be able to render the whole armor useless, which is not a risk she could take when there's a demon in the basement.

They had already been at this for twenty minutes, two skilled fighters in a deadlock that removed Erza's advantage, leaving her to her sword skills alone. They stood apart from each other, before they began to circle around, neither one of them moving forward or backward, trying to find a break in the other's stance.

Yuka suddenly rushed forward, his whole body surrounded by an aura of wave magic this time, Erza silently ran to meet him, Yuka tried to punch her in the face, while she easily deflected to the left side of her head with her sword before going for a leg sweep, which Yuka saw coming before he jumped, front flipping over her, and in the middle of his flip when he was above her, have sent a wave of anti-magic down at her before finishing his flip.

When Yuka flipped over Erza she quickly rolled forward before flipping onto her feet leaving them back, a few feet apart, but in reality, they were back at square one.

 _'Hey Erza,'_ Natsu said making Erza sigh, disappointed that she hadn't been able to defeat her opponent yet, _'what is it?'_ Erza asked curiously as she requipped into her flight armor, taking the risk of having it broken, having had realized she had spent too much time-fighting Yuka.

"Oh, willing to take the risk?" Yuka asked as he increased the density of wave magic around him, realizing that now Erza is able to use her magic, his loss is almost assured. Erza didn't even bother to reply, as she simply flashed out of existence before swinging an attack at Yuka's left knee, hoping to at least cripple him to the degree she could finish him off faster. _'Stop fighting, they're not trying to release Deliora, just ensure his death,which is technically what the council request specifically asked us to do,'_ Natsu said making Erza hesitate, holding back her crippling strike, and before Yuka could take advantage of her hesitation she once again disappeared, only to reappear twelve feet away, holding her sword in front of her.

"Natsu said you intend to kill Deliora, is this true?" Erza asked as she held her sword in front of her, prepared to strike the bluenette down if he gave her the wrong answer. Yuka's eyes widened at Erza's question, never having known that one, or both of them were capable of telepathy.

"The Salamander speaks the truth, we plan to release Deliora from his prison to send him to his tomb," Yuka said making Erza sigh, contemplating whether they should take the risk and release Deliora upon the possibility they are unable to defeat him or keep him caged to prevent more death and destruction.

 _'I take it you intend on working with these mages to help take Deliora down? I clearly remember you saying that you were going to prevent the moon drip from releasing Deliora?'_ Erza queried as she blocked another cross from Yuka, engaging in more hand to sword combat for what seemed to be the nth time that day.

When she received no reply from Natsu, she growled in annoyance, quickly realizing just what Natsu was up to, furious that she had believed him, feeling conflicted since she didn't know why he wanted to be with Deliora.

Her annoyance was quickly obvious to Yuka, as he was put on the defense, covering his forearms in his magic, creating a surface onto which he would be able to fend off her sword strikes, her speed forcing him to protect his vitals with his arms as she continued her onslaught of slashes, leaving Nicks and cuts all around his body, from the bottom of his braces made of magic to the top of his knees, her speed granted to her by her Flight armor allowing her to even cut him on his back, before Yuka growled in anger, choosing to channel whatever magic power he had left inside him, his confidence being a facade due to just how much magic he required to block her sword slashes before he let out an explosion of wave magic, making Erza slam against the wall behind her as part of her armor cracked, the lacrimas and magical due to the sheer amount of wave magic he expelled.

Yuka fell to his knees, having had expelled the rest of his magic power in that single attack. He was barely able to lift his head up, looking at Erza who had fallen to the ground before requipped back to her normal armor, her flight armor broken. Erza slowly stood up, the impact on the wall in a protection-less armor like her flight armor only served to increase the damage she received from. That attack, and unfortunately for Yuka, it wasn't enough.

She stabbed her sword onto the ground aiding her balance as she looked at the downed Yuka, surprised to see him still conscious after having put out that much magic power in a sheer moment.

 _'Natsu, Natsu!'_ she yelled through the telepathic lacrimas, hoping that Yuka's wave of magic hadn't had broken it, after a few more attempts Erza sighed, uncomfortable about being left in the dark as to Natsu's intentions before she walked forward before giving Yuka a hand, making him look up in shock, having had expected she had come to deliver the finishing blow.

"It makes me curious, we are on different sides of the battlefield, and yet, we failed to notice we had the same goal in mind all along. Here we are, wasting our time fighting when we could have been working together," Erza described, making Yuka look at her in bemusement, having had thought they were here to stop the ritual.

"And here I thought you were here to stop the ritual, The Salamander said it himself?" Yuka asked curiously, still unable to move due to his magical container being empty, glad that he hadn't been blocked unconscious.

"Yeah, well, so did I," Erza said as she looked down the tunnel Natsu traversed through, annoyed that she had no idea whatsoever was going on down there. She looked up, hearing the sounds of fighting still coming from above, which at least proved that Gray wasn't blocked out yet.

She was so focused on trying to get a good idea as to what was happening above her, she completely missed what was right behind her. Yuka looked up as he could hear footsteps coming from the tunnel in front of him, and was surprised to see Sherry walk out, unscathed, and somehow in a better mood than from when she entered it, making Yuka raise one of his colossal eyebrows in curiosity when he could see how happy she was.

The smile on Sherry's face quickly drained away when she noticed the state Yuka was in, with cuts spanning his whole body, rips in his shirt and pants displaying the cuts all around his body. A small pool of blood had begun to form below him as the colour of his clothing was slowly turning gasped before running forward, worried about the state of her friend, only to be stopped by Erza who had quickly spin around after hearing Sherry gasp, before putting it at Sherry's neck, making her put her hands up in mercy.

"Yuka's wave magic disabled Natsu's lacrimas, and I wasn't able to hear his whole plan, and more importantly, did Natsu say anything as to his intentions regarding Deliora?" Erza asked with a growl towards the end, not too fond of not knowing things, especially when they refer to large immortal demons...

Sherry paled, quickly noticing that Erza would not like her answer, which could only mean bad things for both her and Natsu, she just hopes Erza's heard the saying 'don't kill the messenger.'. Sherry gulped feeling trepidation build up in her chest as Yuka watched in a mixture of confusion and horror, knowing that he wouldn't be able to stop Erza even if he tried, knowing just how fast she was with a sword from a first-hand experience.

"He.. he told me that he plans to release Deliora by manipulating the _Ic_ _ed shell_ , and the plans on killing Deliora!" Sherry said really quickly, almost too quick to be understandable, but Erza heard all that she needed to. She returned her sword to her scabbard without a word and slowly walked around Sherry before disappearing down the tunnel, with Yuka and Sherry watching, feeling as if they had escaped death itself.

Sherry, quickly remembering what state Yuka was in quickly ran towards her friend, kneeling at his side before attempting to roll him onto his back, but was stopped by his pained, intake of breath, until she realized she had her friends blood all over her hands, making her stare in shock before looking at her friend, curious as to how he was functional with so many cuts and scratches on his body.

"Oh my God, are you okay?!" Sherry screamed in shock, unsure as to what she was supposed to do, especially since she doesn't have any bandages on her, and she can't move him either.

"Yeah, just give me a minute," Yuka said as he called upon all the magical power that had regenerated over the last few minutes, before using it to form his _wave aura_ , making sure to harden it, which essentially formed a compress on every single cut he had, almost like a bandage. Sherry, picking up on what he was trying to do, held his hand, trying to help give him some more magical power to cover and eventually close his wounds.

"Th-anks," Yuka said in a shaky breath, once again finding himself without magic, and they basked in a peaceful silence, two friends just sitting together, enjoying each other's company, enjoying their time together before a battle that could lead to their deaths, having had trained for months, even years for this moment, and still unsure as to who would win, a demon not seen for over a decade, or a brigade of victims and survivors, just trying to make sure nobody got hurt again.

The silence held on, chasing both Yuka's and Sherry's heads to shoot up in confusion, almost simultaneously, realizing that they could no longer hear the sounds of combat and pain coming from above them, neither could they hear the monotonous chants from the ritual, making them both worried and perplexed, confused as to why neither was occurring.

"Sherry, go and see why nothing is going on up there, I'll join them downstairs when I can move," Yuka said making Sherry begin to run upstairs, worried that one of their strongest fighters may have been taken out before the one thing all of them have been waiting for, for almost a decade.

" _Doll attack, Rock Golem_ ," She chanted as she disappeared into the other side of the room, using her magic to turn a pile of rock and rubble into a golem, and when it moved to the side a small, tight gap could be seen on the wall, just barely large enough for her to barely skim through before the golem walked in front of the entrance, before becoming a pile of rubble once more.

Once Sherry passed through the crack in the wall, she entered into a dark opening, that she knew off by heart. She walked almost blindly through the dark, musty smelling cavern as she walked across the room, casually walking over rubble and overgrowth without fault, proving just how well she knew the terrain. She silently entered the tunnel on the left, beginning to walk through it, sliding her hand along the right side of the wall, allowing her to safely walk up the incline as the tunnel spiraled, leading her to the top. It only took a few more minutes Sherry to finish the climb, walking out of one of the Temples exits, leaving her near the top of the temple, behind the _Cold Emperors_ throne.

As Sherry approached the throne, she could already feel an icy cool breeze being blown down from the ritual area, only going to prove that this was truly the battleground between two Ice Mages. When she was behind the throne she was already shivering from the cold, wrapping her arms around her body, almost as if she was trying to hug the warmth back into herself, a stark contrast from the hug she gave Natsu earlier. 'He was so... Warm. Like I was sitting in front of the fireplace, wrapped in a thick while drinking hot cocoa...' Sherry thought as she felt a blush rush up to her cheeks, feeling something she's never felt before.

Her eyes, however, shot Upen when she saw the battlefield before her. All of the cultists around her were frozen solid, Lyon, was lying on the ground in front of his throne, covered in cuts and scrapes, his clothes completely torn and ruined, his helmet was off to the side, impaled by a lance made of closer inspection, she realized that he had to Freese some wounds shut, a stab in his gut, a gash on his leg, and a cast around his right shoulder, which went just how strong Gray was, not only as an opponent but as a fighter, having disabled Lyon to the point that even if he wanted to fight, he couldn't. Sherry sighed, releasing all the pent-up stress inside her, knowing that Lyon would heal, and glad that he wasn't severely injured, or dead. She looked around, trying to see if Gray was in a similar condition, only to find a trail of blood leading away from the battleground, along with a path paved of ice going towards the entrance to the temple, and probably towards Deliora.

 _"Doll attack; Giant of Bifrost._ " Sherry chanted as both Gray's, and Lyon's ice around her started to mold together as if seeing a statue melt in reverse. The blue and green tinged ice mixing together as it began o form Limba, armor and the head of a giant, standing at almost fourteen feet tall. Upon Sherry's command, the giant moved forwards, before picking Lyon up, cradling his battered body in a hand made of ice, before jumping down towards the bottom of the temple, having a harsh landing as the legs made of ice cracked under the pressure, and force of the landing, twin craters formed at the giants feet as it began to stabilize itself, before entering the brush, bringing Lyon to a safer place, away from the calamity that approaches.

Once Sherry was sure that Lyon was out of harm's way, she turned around, approaching the frozen cultists on the right side of what looked like a war zone, hoping beyond belief that they were not dead and that the ice could be called off, keeping them trapped no more. The closer she got, the more she realized that their predicament was very similar to that of Deliora's, making her curious as to how they froze every single one of them in such a short amount of time. She stopped in front of them, noticing now that everyone seemed to have been frozen to death, huddled together, trying to preserve their warmth.

'Is this the cost, of the battle between Ice Mages?' Sherry pondered sadly, reaching out to touch the ice, and in the single millisecond she touched the ice, her fingertip was frostbitten. Sherry quickly pulled her hand back, examining it as she cradled her arm to her bosom, shell-shocked at how cold the ice still is while holding hundreds of people within it.

She quickly examined the ice, hoping that she would not see her beloveds green ice, but Gray's blue ice, hoping that Lyon hadn't risked all the lives and still lost. And upon closer inspection, Sherry's worry was proved for naught, as this was indeed Gray's doing, making her curious as to how strong all of the mages were before she remembered that Tobi went along on his own, to fight the cat, platinum, and blonde haired girls.

'I hope he's alright, may my love friends keep them alive,' Sherry thought determinedly as she looked out over the forest, hoping to see no uprooted trees or damaged areas, as Tobi is a melee fighter, rather than using ranged attacks and affecting the area around him for success in combat.

She slowly scanned the treeline below her, carefully looking for anything that was moved or removed, as was glad that everything looked just as it had when she looked at it this morning.

Turning around, she sighed, feeling a mixture of nostalgia, pain, and disappointment as she looked around the icy battlefield, remembering the years it took to find the spell, moon drip, that is capable of dispelling any and all spells. The money, and time it took to move Deliora across Fire, to be able to get Deliora to Galina Island, without the council or anyone's notice. The hours and time it oil, to get Deliora in place, so that Moon Drip would pour into Deliora, releasing him from his prison. And the three years they spent, collecting magic and moon power, all leading up to this very moment, this very day, when they would finally be able to get their revenge on Deliora, for destroying their families, their homes, their lives. Knowing that nobody else would have to suffer after they completed their decade-long crusade. And it was all for naught because the wizard saint had the power within him all along.

'I truly hope Natsu wasn't lying, otherwise, we may never be able to release Deliora, especially since Gray froze all of our ritual runners. We would have been stupid to reject their help, all of them being bonafide professionals at their respective magics, I just hope I don't grow to regret it.' Sherry thought as she looked across the battlefield, looking at the frozen battlefield before her, before slowly walking away, the cold having had crept through her whole body, leaving before she is left like the cultists before her.

She followed along the path she could only assume Gray traveled along, as there was something akin to a slide made of ice, guiding the path from the top to the entrance of the tunnel, before going to join the Fairy Tail mages below, hoping that Yuka was to be down there joining them.

 **With Gray At the Beginning of the Fight**

"It seems that the lesser student of Ur believes he can beat me... Go and defeat the Titania and the Salamander," Lyon said as he stood up for the first time, making the mages performing the ceremony stand up, and walk backwards, clearing a space for them to fight, surprising Gray at just how confident Lyon was, that he would completely stop the ceremony to fight him.

Lyon's statement prompted Zalty, Yuka and Sherry to jump down through the hole, and Gray was surprised when Zalty slightly, almost unnoticeably flinched at Ur's name, making him even more convinced that Zalty was actually Ultear, but that slight hesitation cost him, as he missed the giant serpent made of ice sneak up behind him, until it tail whipped him in the back, slamming him towards Lyon.

" _Ice Make: Rhino!"_ The _Cold Emperor_ or Lyon said as he swung his right arm forward, forming a huge, six-foot tall animated rhino out of ice in an instant, that charged forward with its head lowered, slamming its Gigantic two-foot longhorn into Gray, slamming him to the ground, creating a crater in the roof, but not breaking through to below.

"This shall be a cakewalk, watch, as I prove that I, the _Cold Emperor,_ am not only the strongest disciple of Ur but, the strongest ice Mage in all of Fiore. No! IN all of the Earthland!" Lyon declared as the cultists around him cheered, glad, as it is to be his strength that shall vanquish Deliora... For Good.

Gray groaned as he attempted to stand up, the strain of the day taking its toll. He slowly pushed himself off the ground onto his knees, breathing in heavily, groaning as he could feel his ribs had almost cracked on that first hit, making him realize that this is no laughing matter and that he will have to go full on from the get-go, or he will be the one ending up on the mat by the end of the night.

"Pathetic, not even three hits in and you can barely stand. Is this the power that you thought could defeat Deliora?! And you're even stronger than you were then Remeber, this day, all this time, this is your fault. Ur would be alive if it wasn't for you!" Lyon shouted as he slowly walked forward, taking his time, enjoying the sight of Gray at his feet.

Gray slowly got up, stopping on his hands and knees, looking up with his eyes watching Lyon's approach, waiting for him to get just a little bit closer...

" _Ice Make; Geyser!"_ Gray shouted as he slammed his hands onto the ground, Forcing a wave of ice to quickly spread towards Lyon before reaching his feet. It quickly grew up Lyon, who showed no signs of trying to dispel or evade the attack, making Gray growl at his arrogance, pushing more of his magic into the ice in an attempt to strengthen it, and drastically increase the damage. It columned up around Lyon within half a second, reach up seven feet high before it began to widen, stopping at four feet thick as Gray slowly stood up, stretching his back, waiting for Lyon to break out of the spell.

Gray waited for a few seconds, and the Ice started to crack, making Gray smirk, as he used his ice magic, beginning to form a Hammer out of ice above the Geyser, waiting for Lyon to break out so that he would be left vulnerable to Gray's second attack.

The ice burst opens making Gray swing the hammer down, hoping to knock Lyon out. The impact of the hammer made the roof of the temple shake and shattered what was left of the ice geyser, causing a cloud of dust and shattered ice to rise into the air, impairing Gray's view of Lyon. He patiently waited, in his _Ice make_ stance, just in case Lyon was capable of staying conscious after that attack. He was shocked when a tiger made of ice lunge at his back, digging its claws of ice into his skin, as he fell on his face, completely defenseless to the tiger's attack.

Gray cringed, waiting for the tiger to strike, only to hear Lyon walking out of the dust, the ice cracking and crunching under his boot.

"That was quite clever, however, you aren't on my level," Lyon said with a wave of his hand, causing the tiger to dig into Gray's shoulder through his shirt making him groan in pain, the claws extending beyond that of a normal jungle cats, digging deep into his skin keeping him pinned down.

"After Ur died, using her last vestiges of magic to cast Iced Shell, the ultimate sacrifice all because you couldn't listen to us! I spent years, searching for the answer so that I could finally fulfill my dream that you took away from me! Thousands of jewels, Years of research and gathering resources, all leading up to this moment! And here you are! Trying to take my dream away from me once more!" Lyon ranted as he paced around Gray's body, a show of dominance, proving his strength to his followers that surround them.

"Get up, and prove that you are at least a student of Ur," Lyon said with a scoff as he called his tiger off, making him tear his claws out of Gray's shoulders without remorse, tearing up his shirt in the process. The tiger backed off, beginning to circle around Gray body in a predatory fashion, watching and waiting for Gray to make a move. The cultists watched, the adults covering the eyes of the youth, watch the _Cold Emperor's_ brutal show of dominance in the cruelest fashion.

Gray struggled to get up, the gashes in his shoulder proved to have done more damage than he had originally thought, he used his magic to form patches of ice, sealing the holes in his shoulder, hoping that it will allow him to continue the fight. Lyon watched in disdain as Gray repeatedly attempted to get to his feet. "Come on!" Gray thought as he pushed up with his arms before getting to his feet, letting out a sigh of exhaustion as he finally stood on his own two feet.

Lyon waved his hand to the side prompting the ice tiger to lunge at Gray, who slammed his right hand onto his palm in a slow, sluggish action as he was still trying to ignore the pain in his shoulders, it felt like someone was trying to tear his shoulderblades out with a rusty crowbar, without making any incisions to get the bar under the bone.

" _Ice Make; Wall!"_ Gray said as his magic formed a large shield of ice in front of him. His casting time, however, was slowed due to the injuries on his shoulder, literally catching the tiger in the casting of the wall, which was almost too slow, the head of the tiger, snarling in Gray's face.

"Pathetic," Lyon said as he tched in annoyance, finding it almost painful to watch Gray use magic. "Here you are struggling to use two-handed Ice-Make magic, while I mastered one-handed casting. You truly are a disgrace." Lyon said in a condescending tone making Gray growl in annoyance.

" _Ice Make; Knuckles!"_ Gray shouted as he dropped to his knees, slamming his fists into the ground, causing a dozen fists made of ice to shoot out of the ground, making Lyon jump into the air in an attempt to avoid the attack.

" _Ice Make; Eagles!"_ Lyon shouted as he was still in the air, his right arm held in the sky, before he swung it forward, causing dozens of eagles made out of green-tinged ice to fly at Gray at high speeds, their wings pulled in, increasing their acceleration during their dive.

" _Ice Make, Dome!"_ Gray said as he crossed his arms over his chest, each fist at the opposite shoulder. A dome made out of thick ice quickly formed around him, with a radius of Seven feet, surrounding Gray on all sides. He quickly extended his hands onto the inside of the dome, prepared to feed it more magic in case the hordes of eagles began to crack through the barrier.

He felt the dome shakes as close to a dozen Eagles impacted onto his barrier, for some reason attacking all around the dome, instead of attempting to focus on one specific spot to break the barrier. After the onslaught of eagles having had crashed on his barrier, Gray let out a sigh of relief before stepping back, only to watch in shock as Lyon fell down, a wolf head made out of ice covering his left hand. Gray watched in shock as he was punched in the face, the teeth on the wolf increasing the damage, scraping up the right side of his face before he was pounded into the ground with Lyon's hand still resting on his face, the dome of ice around him dispelled due to his lack of focus.

"I'm surprised, you remembered my magic's superiority over yours. My dynamic Ice make allows me to make moving objects, or even redirect an attack." Lyon said as he stood up, dispelling the wolf on his hands as he stepped back, allowing Gray to make the first move, to further prove his superiority.

Gray shook his head, trying to remove the dazed, cloudly feeling as his right hand went towards his face, touching the wound on his face, wincing when felt just how bad it was, before he sealed it with ice, making him look more and more like a human-ice cyborg.

Gray sighed, annoyed that he has ended up on his back for what seemed to be the fifth time in an hour, before he slowly stood up, wiping the dust and ice shards off his shirt, only to notice that there were multiple holes torn in his shirt. He growled in annoyance before he took his shirt off, the alarm not going off due to the state of it. Gray was left shirtless, cuts and scrapes all along his torso, most noticeably on his shoulders, trails of blood having had run down his back before it was completely sealed. He rolled his shoulders, wincing when he felt his skin pull on the ice covering his wounds.

Lyon rolled his eyes, almost regretting letting Gray recover, impatiently tapping his feet as he waited for Gray to make his move. The cultists watched in awe, feeling inspired by Lyon's leniency, and mercy, allowing Gray to get back up. 'I never thought he would be this strong, It felt like he almost dislocated my jaw,' Gray thought in astonishment as he focused on the fight, trying to ignore all of the emotions and pain he was feeling, and trying to just focus on winning the fight, not only for himself, but for Ur, for Ultear, and for the villagers on this island, so that they won't have to suffer like he did. Little did Gray notice, the pendant on his neck began to feel colder, the stone started to slightly glow.

" _Ice Make, Death Scythe!"_ Gray said as he ran forward, an icy breeze drifting off of him as he formed a large scythe that was six feet long with a three-foot-long blade as he jumped in the air before holding the scythe's blade above his head before he swung it down on Lyon, who held his right hand above him before calling upon his magic.

" _Ice make; Ape!"_ Lyon yelled as a gorilla made out of ice standing at almost six feet tall was formed out of ice, it was behind him with its arms extended ready to block the attack from Gray, only to watch in shock as the Ape pushed Lyon to the side before taking the full blow, onlookers amazed as Gray cut right through the gorilla, the tip of the blade being left impaled in the ground.

"It's like Ur said, One-handed casting is weak and imbalanced. That's why you'll never achieve your dream" Gray said as he panted, having had put all of his strength into his swing before he pulled the scythe out of the ground and rested it on his shoulder as he looked at Lyon who gritted his teeth in anger.

"How dare you speak her name! It's your fault she's gone! If you hadn't challenged Deliora we could have trained together, learned together! But instead, she's dead now!" Lyon yelled as he flipped onto his feet before forming a few animals around him made completely out of ice.

The first was another ape, only this time a little smaller standing at about four feet tall, probably to make it easier to control more than one animal at once. The second was a large eagle, four times the size as his normal ones, at about two and a half feet tall, and it was silently sitting on Lyon's shoulder, staring at Gray, who was slightly surprised at how intricate it was, being able to see every individual feather and claw even from where he was standing.

The last one to be formed was a tiger, that was on the other side of Gray, meaning he was surrounded on both sides, including the eagle's aerial advantage. 'Crap, If all of them are as solid and thorough as I think, I don't think I'm going to come out on top with this one..." Gray thought with a sigh as he dispelled the Scythe, rather forming a short sword in his left hand and a large shield with a cross on it in his right, preparing to attack and defend multiple types of opponents simultaneously, and trying his best not to take too much damage.

The cultists continued to watch in awe, never having had seen even Yuka or Sherry push Lyon this far, and knowing just how vulnerable he was to attacks when he was controlling more than two at a time, especially with the amount of magic he put into each, otherwise Gray would have been able to break through them with a few hits. As much as Lyon had the upper hand at the start, it seemed that Gray was the underdog, as they were now almost on par, even though Lyon hasn't even gone close to pulling out his strongest creation yet.

* * *

And onto the Reviews!

Guest 1 from Chapter 23- I do agree that adding Aries into the harem shouldn't be that difficult, but that is if I go off of canon oracion Seis arc. I do intend on having Natsu run into Angel during the oracion Seis arc, but a simple encounter is not enough to add a girl into a harem, so I have to be creative. As always, any and all ideas are appreciated and will be properly credited, assuming I have a name to refer to other than Guest.

Natsuharemlover- I do admit, I gave your proposition a lot of thought, the biggest problem I have with this Au written by Korusaki is that I still don't have a creative enough reason for Fairy tail to dislike Natsu so much. Sayla using Fairy Tail as a hunting ground for possible mages to turn into demons does not seem like a viable addition to the current timeline, because as far as I remember they only developed that after the 7 year time skip. Let me know if I'm wrong because I probably am xD.

* * *

A/N Sorry that the fight scenes are fairly bland, I did my best :(

Tobi is really weak, and there isn't really anything so can do to power him up, other than giving ghim new magic, or changing him completely. Yuka, on the other hand, had a big weakness, his physical strength, and fighting skills. This is changed because instead of working for Lamia Scale as an anti-mage, which would be negating magical attacks, he has been training mind and body, preparing himself to help fight Deliora.

Sorry the fight with Gray isn't finished, but I didn't have enough time to then quickly edit and post before work.


	25. A Plan Made

**About doing lemons, as of right now I don't think I will write some, as I won't do them justice. If someone else wants to write them go right ahead lol! xD**

And onto the Story

Gray looked around him hesitantly, doing his best to watch all of Lyon's creations, especially the eagle, since it had the largest advantage. He swung the sword around, checking to make sure it was comfortable and strong, sharp and durable. He could literally hear it whistle as it cut through the air, making him grin, knowing that this sword could at least go toe to with some of Erza's best.

The ape and the tiger began to run at him, both attacking from different sides while the eagle soared upwards, perhaps trying to dive bomb him while he was preoccupied fending off the other two. The tiger reached him first, lunging for his chest which he blocked with the shield, what he didn't expect was for the tiger to dig into his shield, making his eyes shoot open in shock, he quickly risked a glance backward, noticing the ape was too close for comfort.

'Dam, I never thought he could control them so smoothly,' Gray thought in annoyance as he stepped to the side before he swung his right arm to the side, trying to at least dislodge the jungle cat from the shield while swinging it into the path of the gorilla.

Gray quickly glanced up, hoping to catch sight of the eagle, only to end up seeing a blank sky, but he was grateful that the sky was no longer purple. 'At least they can't collect moon energy as long as I entertain their host,' Gray thought humorlessly as he sidestepped and ducked under a hay-maker from the ape before swinging his sword outwards, hoping to at least main the ape, and was surprised to see that he only cut about a third of the way through before his sword got stuck.

This of course, left him open to an attack from the tiger which he attempted to block with his shield, only to lose footing as the eagle flew under him, not only tripping him, but meaning that he was on his back under the tiger, with the ape at least a foot away who casually tore the sword out of its arm before swinging it around, the wound on his arm displaying a strong ice exoskeleton, before the cut sealed up, the ice simply reforming and leaving him back at square one.

'Shit! Of course, he can heal them,' Gray thought with an eye roll as he used both arms to hold off the Tigers vicious attacked before noticing that the ape was about to kick him. 'Shit!' Gray thought as he used his ice magic to form a wall to his side, completely blocking off the ape before he shifted his weight to the left, before using his legs to kick the cat off of him into the wall. Just as he was about to get up he noticed the eagle flying down, dive bombing him in an almost kamikaze fashion which he attempted to block with his shield.

Unfortunately for Gray that was just a distraction as the ape had climbed up the wall, before it jumped off, aiming its right elbow to impact into Gray's shield, which Lyon sharpened, adding some spikes to increase the amount of damage. By the time Gray noticed the falling ape, it was almost too late as he used his ice magic in an attempt to increase not only the size, but the strength of the shield as well, increasing its diameter to four feet, while creating g supports all around the shield that stuck into the ground, so he wouldn't take all the force and weight of the attack onto his body. Gray grit his teeth as the ape impacted into the shield, hearing the painful scratches and cracks of the shield losing its integrity, but thankfully it held.

By now the tiger was already on its feet before lunging at Gray hoping to incapacitate him while the eagle was back in the sky, circling Gray looking for another opening in Gray's defense to take advantage of. Gray sighed in annoyance as he watched the tiger lunge at him, the ape still on his enlarged shield,.pinning his right arm down leaving g him almost defenseless to the Tigers charge.

" _Ice Make; Knuckle!"_ Gray shouted as he slammed his right hand to the ground, making a large fist shoot out of the grounds into the Tigers stomach, which not only dealt damage to the tiger, leaving cracks and craters in its chest, bending its body in an unnatural way, but caused it to veer off course, launching it into the ape, making the both fall off the shield into a tangle of ice and limbs.

Gray quickly dispelled the shield above him, allowing him to his feet once more, promising himself to be even more aware and careful because he barely got out of that unharmed. He risked a glance back at Lyon and was surprised to see his eyes closed, barely moving as he flawlessly controlled the animals, making Gray grin, as he also left himself defenseless. 'it's as if he's not looking, how is his attack so strong, unless...' Gray considered as he came to the conclusion that he was using a bird's eye view to have a better understanding of the battlefield, literally living through his creations, letting him have a totaled, perfectly mapped 3-D representation of the fight.

'I have to give it to him, I'm surprised his brain can comprehend with all the information being sent to him, to be capable of flawlessly put together every perspective instantaneously must be extremely taxing, must be why h has to use his dynamic ice makes magic to be on full offence, while leaving himself defenseless.' Gray considered as he looked at the animals on the ground, amused as to how they were bent out of shape, the tiger half under, and over the ape while it had its arms stuck behind it's back, making it quite complicated to get themselves untangled.

'I wonder,' Gray thought as he turned towards Lyon, lowering into his _Ice-Make_ stance as he called upon his magic, making it shimmer around him as he powered up for his spell.

" _Ice Make; Lance!"_ Gray called out as a large icy blue magic circle formed in front of him, before a dozen three foot long Lance's shot out all aiming towards Lyon, who instinctively cross his arms in front of him, trying to minimize the damage before the eagle flew down in front of him, taking the impact of most of the Lance's as a stray lance slammed into Lyon's head, knocking his helmet off as another impacted his right shoulder, leaving it impaled as Lyon's concentration broke, his animals losing their strength and coordination allowing Gray to use _Ice-Make; Impact_ to break them so that they could not be reformed.

Gray turned to Lyon, watching him tear the lance out of his shoulder before he sealed the hole in his shoulder, before building a brace around the wound, the ice expanding down across his chest almost like a bandolier, to better protect and stabilize it, as Ur had always taught them to go for the weak spot.

Gray simply looked at Lyon, this being the first time he had actually sent his face in what felt like a lifetime, having had grown so much, so fast since that fateful, life-changing day. "Man, it almost doesn't like he's aged at all, well, apart from the growing part...' Gray thought as he gave Lyon the same grace period, neither one of them wanting this to be the end of the fight, instead wanting to push the other to the fullest, and only the strongest would be left standing. Would they see who's stronger?

"Well, it seems you have learned a thing or two," Lyon said with a despondent chuckle, before he charged at Gray, intending to see who could fight better. Gray internally cringed as he ran forward, rather preferring the strength boost his magic could grant him, the defense and the protection his magic could provide him.

Lyon lead first with a feint from his right, before going for an uppercut with his left, which completely threw Gray off, as he went to block what seemed to be a right cross, leaving his stomach unguarded to the uppercut. He could feel his body be lifted up the slightest few inches from the strength of the punch as his back arched, his lungs expelling all the air through his mouth. Lyon then went for a right hook, slamming Gray towards the ground, having no balance or sense of gravity to the onslaught.

Lyon stood in the same spot, watching Gray get back to his feet before he had to jump back to avoid a sly leg sweep as Gray recovered getting back to his feet.

"You're not as good as I hoped you would be, and even then you're still leagues stronger than that stupid child who thought he could kill Deliora. How can you live with yourself? Knowing your ignorance is responsible for Ur's death." Lyon said as he looked down on Gray, anger clear on his face as he looked down on Gray, who hasn't improved as much as he had, and yet he dares to still call himself a student of Ur. He spread his legs, lowering his center as they circled each other, lowering his center of gravity as he prepared for Gray's assault.

"You might have been there, but you didn't have to watch! You didn't have to sit back and watch as the one person who meant the most to you, turn to you, saying their sorry as tears ran down their face! You didn't have to watch as she cast the spell, forever damning herself to being the prison for an eternal demon!" Gray yelled in anger as a lone tear ran down his face, before it froze solid, the temperatures coming from the ice mages already making the surrounding cultists feel as if they had lost limbs, which the kind of did.

Gray lunged at Lyon, jumping into the air as he went for a right cross, twisting his hips to increase the power of the strike, Lyon crossed his arms, blocking Gray's hit before he grabbed Gray's wrist with his right hand, pulling his arm down leaving Gray right open.

"At least you got to say goodbye!" Lyon yelled as he threw a punch for Gray's gut only to become a springboard, because Gray kicked off of him, flipping onto his feet, giving them space as they began to circle each other once more.

"You say that like she's dead! You know the sacrifice she made to save everyone from the demon, and yet you're going to release it? How dare you even say her name!" Gray shouted as they both lunged at each other, throwing an assortment of jabs and crosses, most of them being blocked as they sped up, their arms becoming blurs to the eyes of the cultists as they finally worked out this decade-long feud.

"Ur died because you tried to fight Deliora! For what?! All because you lost your mommy and daddy?! Everyone here, from the children to the elderly. Everyone here lost someone to Deliora! At least this time I've been training for years! Honing my body and magic to its greatest potential! Did you really think a child could defeat a demon of Zeref? You were barely able to cast magic!" Lyon shouted as he finally found an opening, sending a quick series of jabs into Gray's solar plexus, kidney, and shoulders, disabling him for enough time to spin out a roundhouse kick to his chest, sending Gray flying a few feet before he slammed into the ground, coughing.

Lyon walked forward, finally having had enough of Gray, his arrogance, his audacity, and his mere presence, all reminding him of the reason why he may never truly achieve his one dream, and all because Ur died to save this man before him, who was on his knees, coughing up blood onto the ground, freezing it as soon as it left his oral cavity. Gray had finally had enough, realizing just how far this fight will go, not until someone can't fight anymore, but until someone can no longer get back up, or until someone dies trying.

"You claim to know what is going on and yet you are ignorant to the truth! Ur never died! She is the iced shell, her body, her essence, her soul. Everything that she was is the shell! You claim that I killed her, and yet you've been destroying her for years!" Gray protested, only to get his face kicked into the ground.

"That is not Ur! That is yet the sorry remains of a great person that I have always strived to surpass! You took that away from me!" Lyon shouted in anger as he continued to slam his foot onto Gray's head, after a few kicks he stopped, before walking away with a slight limp in his step, having believed he had won.

Gray slowly stood up, stretching his bones as he righted himself, ice beginning to climb over his skin as his pendant glowed a light blue. And aura shot up around him, his hair flying around from his magic output alone. forming a set of armor. The Ice climbed up his legs, forming a skin-tight armor on his body that couldn't be broken as long as he could still draw upon his magic, and almost flawless defense unless you could outlast his magic container. There were spiral designs along the plates, outlined in a darker blue ice. He had a knee guard that almost looked like a clamshell upon his knees, that cleanly folded over the plated on the front of his thigh. There were two ice ornate ice plates that covered the back of Gray's thighs and buttox, that were almost like a short cape, but still granted perfect movement and flexibility.

The ice began to climb up his torso, multiple layers of ornate plates grew on his chest, protect his Heart, Liver, Solar Plexus, any weakness Lyon could use against him protected in a thick layer of ice. Somehow, Gray's pendant moved to the top of the armor, just barely under a thin layer of ice as the gem glowed brighter, Gray's pupils turning the same color for just an instant, and when he blinked, it was gone.

The ice began to climb down his arms, making large, and intricate shoulder guards that went down to the middle of his bicep. For some reason the armor stopped there, only to create a layered gauntlet on his forearm that started forming just below his elbow before it continued to his hands.

Lyon raised a brow in curiosity, surprised that Gray would risk using that much magic, especially with an element like ice to form such an armor, because if you broke through, he could be injured by his own ice as well.

As it covered his forearm, a circular Aegis of ice formed on his right hand, expanding to a diameter of almost three feet, while spikes formed upon his left knuckles for increased damage, making Lyon curious if Gray had actually grown and learned.

The Ice climbed up his neck, thickening into a brace, that was somehow still movable, preventing any strangling or cuts that would otherwise kill or incapacitate him. It climbed up his face, covering his mouth and head. Plates of Ice with a slit for his eyes formed, almost like large scales that layered upon each other, reaching the back of his head where his hair flow out, almost seeming longer tha it actually was.

"Ice Make, Armor of the Fallen Soldier," Gray said as he looked up at Lyon, a blizzard begging to form around him, send cold, bitter winds carrying his ice magic, making Lyon confused as it would have no effect on him. The two of them were in a standoff. neither approaching or backing off, curious as to who made make the first strike.

Lyon lunged forward first, forming the head of a wolf on one hand, and the head of a rhino on the other, intending to cross horn with the sword for the upcoming session. Gray simply stood there, as Lyon attacked, quickly sidestepping the punch before bringing the pommel of his sword down on Lyon's head, smashing him into the ground fast than he had a chance to block, sending Lyon to the ground, dazed, but still conscious.

Gray simply stood there as he waited for Lyon to get up, taking a step to back to avoid Lyon's leg sweep before swinging his sword in front of him, decapitating the tiger that shot out of Lyon's hand, as he stared down at Lyon, waiting for his next move. Lyon flipped back to his feet, his magic beginning to seep out of him, appearing to freeze the air itself.

"So this is your strongest spell..." Lyon trailed off as he started to chuckle, his magic power growing exponentially as it surrounded him in a torrent of snow and ice shards, the sheer temperature more than enough to freeze someone solid in an instant.

A tower of ice shot up around him, creating a prism that refracted the Moon's light. It seemed to be over twenty feet tall, and at least seven feet wide. Gray stood there, curiously watching, waiting to see what his strongest spell was. The ice began to glow an incandescent green, making the cultists attempt to shield their eyes, but found themselves unable. The stood still in shock, unable to feel anything at all, from the tip of their toes to the top of their eyes, everything completely frostbitten and unusable, making all of them panic, never having had thought this is how it would end.

The temperature seemed to be at least negative one hundred degrees, the constant ice output from both mages drastically impacting the environment around them. It was almost as if a blizzard had been summoned on top of the temple, making the villagers on the other side of the island almost feel scared, even as Happy reassured them that everything was okay and that this is how they were stopping the curse.

Gray watched in shock as the large ice tower around Lyon began to reform, growing a long scaly tail, large spiky wings that looked like a large sheet of ice, with spikes spanning along the bottom, opposite to the shoulder joint with a wingspan of over twenty feet sprung out of the tower, at around the twelve feet mark. Icy spikes grew up its back, increasing in length and width as it grew up the neck, the scales becoming more defined and pronounced, almost promising that he was strengthening the ice.

The top of the tower elongated and reformed, shaping the head of a dragon, or what Lyon perceived to be a dragon, as horns grew into of its head, it's long, deadly canines extending below its chin, almost like icicles from a roof line. Limbs grew out as well, then becoming the support to the tower as it unattached from the temple, beginning to stand on its own feet as she neck bent down, opening its eyes that flew a bright green, the same green from earlier in fact. The head lowered down to Gray's height, looking him as best as he could in the eyes, Lyon's body still on the left side of its chest, making Gray think that this was how he protected his body while controlling one of his larger creations, while also becoming the heart of it all at once.

" _Ice Make; Dragon from the depths of the Arctic, Valroth."_ Lyon sounded out, his voice distorted and lowered due to the body of a dragon, his voice sounding so cold and scratchy almost sending a shiver down Gray's spine as he looked into the luminescent eyes of the dragon, almost wishing he had Natau by his side, Almost...

Lyon's creation completely dwarfed Gray in size, having barely enough room for him to properly move, giving Gray a few ideas as that also meant he had a higher, more constant magic output than Gray, but the possibilities of being a dragon are quite astonishing. 'Alright, let's see if I can break through those scales faster than he can break my armor...' Gray through as he rushed forward, holding his shield above him, blocking him from Valroth's devastating swipe with his long jagged, icy claws sending him to his knees from the sheer force of the attack.

Lyon laughed, his voice distorted with an almost Manicaland tinge, as he kept Gray pinned with only one arm, his tail swinging around the air, almost as if he was bored of the fight as he kept his wings folded against his torso as he attempted to crush Gray as soon as possible, wanting to save as much magical energy as possible for the rest of the enemy mages.

Gray grit his teeth as he fell to a knee, sticking his sword onto his back, causing clips to instantly form out of ice, having a good grasp of his sword as he used both arms to fend off Lyon's claw, his shoulders flaring in pain as he slowly pushed Lyon's claw up enough that he was no longer on his knee, allowing him to quickly roll to the side out from under the claw quickly bring his shield with him, sending Lyon's claw crashing through the roof of the temple from the sheer force he applied on Gray, getting redirected.

As Gray finished his roll he grabbed his sword off his back before running towards Lyon's other claw, hoping to test his sword against Lyon's scales. He held his sword with one hand as he kept clipped his shield to his back, before going for a two-handed overhead swing, bringing it crashing down onto the leg of the dragon, barely cutting through the scales making him sigh in annoyance as he rolled backward, avoiding the dragon's bite. 'Lyon can barely move, and his sight is restricted to the dragons head, right?' Gray thought as he lunched forward, feinting a sword strike as he rolled under the body of the dragon, rolling to the other side before he called upon his magic.

" _Ice Make; Trident of the Fallen Gods!"_ Gray chanted as the cultists watched in confusion until they saw something up in the corner of their eyes. Due to their current condition, unable to feel their limbs or other appendages due to the sheer cold of the fight, they were unable to look up, but after a few seconds, they saw it. A huge twelve foot long trident descending from the skies at breakneck speed making their eyes widen as far as they could, the prongs at least three feet apart, the handle ornate, covered in seashells and pearls as it descended upon the dragon, slamming its it's tail, pinning it down with a loud crashing noise as the Dragon roared in anguish, its tone and volume still fake and almost mechanical as its head reared up, attempting to use its teeth and jaws to pry the trident out of its tail with no avail.

Gray smirked at the dragon, standing behind it in amusement as he strapped his sword to his hip, and watched as Lyon attempted to free himself from the God's trident with no capability of success. 'It is a strong attack, sure, but he has nowhere near enough space to use it, Is that as small as it could go? or did he want to simply overpower me...' Gray considered as he watched Lyon try and fail to escape, knowing that he was not open and vulnerable to any attack. The cultists watched in shock as Lyon's greatest creation was so quickly disabled and restricted, knowing that if Gray could hit hard enough that the fight could soon be over, especially since Lyon can't hold that form for too long.

Gray quickly jumped back, the dragon's head having had given up on trying to chew through the trident before lunging at Gray, opening its maw, a torrent of ice and snow over three feet in diameter shooting out from Lyon's maw.

" _Ice Make; Mirror!"_ Gray shouted as he slammed his foot into the ground, causing a large, but thin mirror made out of reflective, almost perfectly polished ice at least three feet wide and seven feet tall to form in front of Gray on an angle, directing the torrent of ice into the sky. The temperature of the blast of snow greatly affecting the water molecules in the clouds above the temple, causing the molecules to freeze and cool, creating an actual blizzard in the sky making Gray look up in shock, realizing that Lyon literally almost froze him, an ice mage, alive. Gray-backed up a few more steps, keeping his distance and staying out of Lyon's range as he contemplated what attack he should use next, knowing that the longer he attempts to keep Lyon pinned, the more magic he will use, the amount he had already put into strengthening it almost taking its toll on him. 'I gotta move fast, I still need to have magic in case Natsu needs help' Gray thought as he lowered into his _Ice-Make_ stance, grabbing his sword off of his waist as he channeled his magic into it, dramatically increasing the length as he dashed forward.

" _Ice Make; Cold Excalibur!"_ Gray chanted as he swung the huge, almost seven foot two-handed broadsword at the dragon sending a large gash through the side, reaching Lyon's leg making the dragon scream in pain as it's claw lashed out, hitting Gray in the chest leaving gashed in his breastplate as he fell backwards, slamming into the top of the temple with a thud. Gray slowly got up, only to see the dragon mending itself back together making Gray grit his teeth, as he had planned to take monopolize on the injury to finish Lyon off.

Gray quickly thought of a way to pierce the scales, as he lowered into his _Ice Make_ stance, the blue glow of his pendant having had faded, no longer subconsciously calling upon its power as he prepared for his next attack. Lyon was having trouble removing the trident from his tail, unable to break it since Gray used quite a bit of magic to strengthen the ice, and unable to move his tail since the middle, the longest spike was penetrated close to the base of the tail, pinning his complete back end into the ground, the middle spike having had punctured, and then enlarge to ensure total coverage and holding power.

" _Ice Make, Spear of the Fallen King, Gungir!"_ Gray shouted as he charged his magic in front of him creating a large magic circle in front of him with a huge tree on it, that began to form a large, ornate five-foot long spear to form in front of him. The tip of the spear looked like the tip of the sword, the first six inches being a sharp, strong tip formed completely out of dense, opaque ice, which only goes to show just how much magic Gray was putting in it. On the face of the blade, there was an intricate engraving, almost like a story, depicting the fall of an empire. The shaft of the spear was long and ribbed, ensuring more grip for better-throwing strength. Gray grabbed the spear, it's crafting complete as he held it behind him, taking aim at Lyon, picturing him in his head as he reared back and release the spear, almost guiding it with his mind as it pierced the scales of the dragon, digging in and stabbing Lyon, although not exiting on the other side, the density of the scales slowing the spear down so that it penetrated Lyons side in the stomach area, making the dragon scream in pain as it began to fall apart. Lyon vastly underestimating the amount of magic he had, and his injuries taking its toll on him as he dispelled the dragon, the foreign weapons in its body, having had wasted his magic in an attempt to , unable to repair it with all , sending all of the ice crumbling down, the dragon roaring as it 'died', leaving Lyon laying on a pile of crumbled and broken ice, panting as he lied there, his arm trying to hold his stomach in an attempt to remove the spear from his body. Gray walked forward, stepping over the broken shards of ice as he held his hand forward, calling the spear out of gray, making it carefully pull out before returning to Gray's open hand. Lyon then placed his hand on his stomach, barely able to seal the wound before he passed out, Gray reached down, making sure that Lyon's leg wouldn't bleed out and was surprised that Lyon had sealed it, before he stood back up, ready to leave this area lest he passes out himself.

Gray then slowly walked backwards, before heading down the tunnel, dispelling everything as he made his way down, his body hunched over as he suffered form magic loss, but not enough to stop him from seeing to Deliora's destruction as he went down, completely forgetting about the cultists who had stood to watch his battle, almost now completely frozen to death as he made his way towards the bane of his existence.

 **Back with Natsu**

Natsu sighed as he hears Sherry disappear into the dark distance, hoping that neither Gray nor Erza took too much damage that it affected their magical capabilities. 'One down, one to go...' Natsu thought as he could vaguely hear the echoed breaths of Zalty above him, making him curious as he could obviously hear him, and has done nothing yet so far. Deciding to make the first move, he called out to him.

"Are you going to wait and see what I intend to do? Are you worried I lied to Sherry?" Natsu called out making Zatly chuckle, his voice almost too deep with an almost warbly tone to it. 'Is that, a distortion lacrimas? Oh... Is this Ultear?' Natsu thought with a smirk as he disappeared in a flash of light, using more magic than usual in his _flaming step_ , making him appear behind Zalty almost instantly, before pushing them off the ledge they stood on, watching in amusement as they cried in fear, their voice changing from a low-pitched shout of terror to a high pitched scream in fear, before he used flaming steps once more to catch them before they hit the ground.

They struggled in his arms, their distorter not working as her voice going back to normal as she screamed at him to let her down, pounding on his chest in an attempt to make him let go. He sighed as he gently righted her before placing her on her feet, only for her to attempt to slap him in the face, which he barely avoided by ducking before he took a step back, giving them space between himself and an angry woman.

"How dare yo-yo What is Wrong with You!?" She screamed at him as she held her manly chest with her left hand, her heart most likely almost beating out of her chest from the fear of the fall. Natau simply laughed at her anger, making them cross her arms over her chest as she most likely pouted.

"My apologies council woman Ultear, but I had to confirm your identity," Natau said as he looked at her, making her whole body cease up, never having expected Natsu out of all of them to figure it out. She stared at him in shock as he pulled he rolled his eyes before he turned around, going back to inspect the iced shell, worried as to how much magic this will truly take from him. Zalty, or more correctly Ultear sighed before taking off her mask, dispelling the illusion in a flash of light, before revealing her true self.

Ultear stood there with her arms almost hugging herself as she continued to stare at Natsu in shock. She was wearing a one sleeve white kimono, that accentuated her perfect unblemished skin and slender shoulders that ended mid-thigh, displaying perfectly legs that went on for days. Her hair was styled down, her bangs hanging above her bust, accentuating her large bosom that was held up by a thick golden band that went around her waist, almost advertising just how perfect she was. She looked at the ground, almost embarrassed as her eyes followed Natau path, curious as to how he found her out.

"How did... How did you find out?" Ultear asked quietly, but Natsu heard her perfectly as he inspected the waters that noticed that some of the melted _Iced Shell_ had run off down to the ocean, making him grit his teeth in annoyance, meaning this just made his job a lot harder, the spell he had in mind only working on a complete body, and he was missing some. Natsu looked up at her, confused to see her acting so skittish, making him worried as to why she was so unusually unconfident. He tried to make eye contact and noticed she refused to look at him, making him smirk as he crawled forward, catching he gaze for a plot second before she looked away, before moving in that direction, finally catching eye contact as she began to laugh, amused by Natsu's childish antics.

"What are you doing?" She asked, no longer restrained by fear or nerves as beautiful peaks of laughter cascaded out of her luscious lips making a warm feeling forward in Natsu cheat, glad that he was able to make her laugh, and be more comfortable.

"Oh come on, it wasn't that hard, with all the meeting we've gone to I recognized your scent, I'm a little disappointed it took that long for me to notice though," Natsu said as he returned to what he was previously doing, glad that she is more open to conversation, making him glad that he had a chance to maybe talk about what was coming for them.

Ultear simply watched him as he returned to what he was doing earlier, worried that he was considering using those Magic Consuming flames of his, having had heard rumors of those whispered around the council, the protege of Gildarts the Ace, and unofficial Grandson of Makarov Dreyar. 'He's not going to kill her... Is he?' Ultear thought with a tinge of fear as she watched him examine the amount of Iced Shell that had already been destroyed.

Noticing g that he answered her question, she looked at him in annoyance, having a feeling that Erza or Gray had filled him in on what had happened earlier.

"So Gray didn't say anything at all? Or Erza?" Ultear asked skeptically as she crossed her arms under he impressive bust as she looked at him, even going as far as to cock her hip, almost certainly. That Natau didn't save the puzzle on his own. Natau froze at Ultear's comment, having had thought that his explanation was more than enough, but unfortunately, she saw right through him.

"They may... Have mentioned something like that," Natsu said, uncomfortable that she had caught him in a lie as she beamed in triumph, glad that her transformation magic was flawless, even covering her scent as she had known that Natau would be one of the mages to come on this quest.

Natau looked back at her, annoyed at how proud she seemed to be, having had seen through his white lie almost instantly.

"Hey, I can be smart too! I easily could have figured it out myself!" Natau complained making Ultear stifle a laugh into her hand, her eyes shining with mirth as she looked at Natsu, having had felt uncomfortable the closer they got to the release of Deliora, as much as she resented her mother for abandoning her, she had neither forgiven not forgotten her, but accepted that because she would never have met Meredy. finally having understood just how painful it would have been to experience a child with a deadly disease, and her heart felt heavy, the more her mother's body, the iced shell was destroyed every day.

Natsu scoffed in mock annoyance, glad that Ultear had finally opened up to him, even though it was probably because they were no longer under the prying eyes at Era. But he did notice that Ultear's mirth didn't last long, making him remember that he had said he was going to dispel Iced Shell, which just happened to be her mother, making him sigh, finally understanding why Ultear was so unconfident earlier.

"I'm not going to kill her," Natau said softly making Ultear look at him in shock, never having seen anything in his file saying that he was this perceptive as she looked at him, the sadness slowly filling her eyes as she walked forwards before kneeling beside him, hesitantly, almost reverently running her hands through the water almost as if she was trying to caress her mother's face, or even hold her hand.

"It's too late anyway," Ultear said, her voice almost shining as she turned to him, looking him in the eyes, unshed tears building up in her eyes making Natsu wrap his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his body with a sigh, his greatest weakness probably being a woman's tears as he listened to her talk.

"If _Iced Shell_ was untampered with, undamaged, complete, then maybe I would have had a chance... But there's no hope now, Ur is not complete, her body could be spread around the world by now," Ultear said as she tried her damnedest not to let her tears fall, feeling comfort in Natsu warmth as he simply held her, making her glad that he hasn't made any promises just to make her feel better.

Natau almost felt tears build up in his eyes as he looked at the broken woman in his arms, understanding how much it hurt to lose a parent, but at least he had the privilege to know that Igneel is alive and kicking, which is so far from Ultear's situation, having to watch as her mother was killed for what seemed to be the second time, slowly hating her self every, single, day. Having to watch and knowing that there was nothing she could do, Iced Shell being the almost perfect seal, with no way to restore the user. Which is exactly why she has worked so hard to achieve the Grand Magic world, to have a second chance at a better life, one where she could live without scars or nightmares, not having to remember the torture and pain she experienced under the hands of the scientists at the Council Research Center.

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing, if _Iced Shell_ was complete, I'd say I have,... Maybe a sixty-five percent chance of reviving her?" Natsu said aloud making Ultear look at him in shock, curious as to how a fire mage could revive the dead until she realized that Ur wasn't technically dead, just physically nonexistent...

"What if we had a water mage? Could they-" Ultear asked quickly, hoping that there could be a chance to save her mother, even if she abandoned her to get tortured because then she would never have had a chance to meet Meredy, or even be able to save her from Zancrow.

Natsu quickly cut her off, remembering what he paid Happy for after they went to Hargeon looking for Igneel. Even if he still has no clue where he got it. He quickly hugged Ultear, making her reply in shock as she was firmly pressed against his toned body, even through the cloth of his cloak, she could feel his muscles upon her skin making a warmth grow in her lower abdomen, making her blush a deep red before Natsu ended the hug just as quickly as it started, holding her by her shoulders with both hands away from him as he looked her in the eyes.

"That's it! Ultear, you're a genius!" Natsu thought as he closed his eyes, going through his magical space just sure he didn't forget his keys at home. Ultear stared at him confused, not having a memory of any of the current mages having any form of water magic, strong enough to search the seven seas for Ur's essence.

"Um, Natsu... You do know that Erza's _Sea Empress Armo_ r is nowhere near strong enough to find her remains, right?" Ultear asked curiously, hoping that Natsu didn't hit his head harder than the blonde she saw with them earlier. "And, can you please let go of me?" Ultear asked with a light blush on her face, all the talk of reviving her mother putting her teasing on hold, and put her off balance, especially around a man like Natau.

"Oh, sorry!" Natau said as he pulled his hands back, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly as he made his other into a fist, hiding the small flash of light that came from requipping _Aquarius's Key._ ultear, however, still noticed the fluctuation of magic, her eyes shooting to Natsu's hand, looking at the Zodiac key, then back to Natsu, and then to the key. 'IS that the blondes key? Why isn't it with the rest...' she thought as her hand went to her bosom, making sure the keys were still there, before looking at him in shock, the realizing hitting her like a stack of bricks. 'No, don't tell me... He never used those for the trials...,' Ultear thought, shocked as she looked at the Stellar Requipping Fire Mage before her, realizing that he may be stronger than any of them realized.

Natsu was oblivious to her shock as he stood up before approaching the iced shell, placing the tip of the key into Ur's essence, hoping that this would be water enough to summon Aquarius, before he took it out, worried about what could happen if he were to summon Aquarius in someone else's magic-filled waters. He turned around, walking to the dryer side of the room, before punching the ground, leaving a small, one foot wide crater before Requipping a canteen, pouring water into the hole making a miniature pond before placing the tip of the key into his makeshift lake, before turning the key with his hand making a bell sound echo through the cavern.

"Open the gate of the water bearer, Aquarius!" Natsu chanted as he jumped back, making Ultear watching in shock as the little bit of water turned into a typhoon, growing exponentially up to six feet tall, colors of pale white and aquamarine visible from the outside, only enforcing the fact that this was truly the water bearer. The typhoon began to lose its speed, quickly dieing down, showing Aquarius in her beautiful pale glory as she held her vase. She looked around before her eyes trained onto Natsu, a smirk growing on her face. She began to fall, making Natsu rush forward, catching her in his arms since there wasn't enough water for her to lay in.

 **Erza Pov**

'I hope Natsu does have a good explanation for lying to me,' Erza thought as her anger simmered, her hand clenched tightly around the handle of her sword as she exited the tunnel, her ears picking up Natsu's voice, barely.

"Open Gate of the Water Barrier, Aquarius!" He said as his magic flared, making Erza run forward in shock, befuddled to see Ultear sitting on the ground, gawking at the gorgeous mermaid in Natsu's arms. She slowly walked forward, her eyes locked onto Natau, finally understanding why Natsu thought he would be the best one to train Yukino, surprised that his use of Stellar Magic had gone unnoticed by almost everyone.

Natsu, upon hearing her footsteps, quickly turned around, making sure not to jostle or hurt the beautiful woman in his arms as they looked at Erza, prompting Ultear to her feet, about the mask on until she realized that if Natsu knows, she must as well. She sighed as she put the mask in the ground before wrapping her arms around her midsection, worried that Erza would attempt to stop Natsu from saving her mother.

 **Group PoV**

"He-y Erza! Gla-d you made it?" Natsu said hesitantly making Erza roll her eyes while Ultear looked at him confused, being well aware strength difference between the two. Aquarius simply looked around, curious as to why Natsu would summon her in a cave of all places, more than aware that this wasn't a social call. She felt a nagging sensation in the back of her head as she noticed the water around the _Iced Shell_ and the demon in the... Ice?!

"Natsu, don't tell me that's... I would ask who would risk using such forbidden magic, but if I'm right, that was their only option." Aquarius said with a sigh as she glowed a bright white as she lay in Natsu's arms, before it died down, showing her having actual legs wearing skin-tight booty shorts made out of the same scales her tail was adorned with making Natsu gawk, their creamy white, smooth appearance more than appealing as he held one of the most beautiful woman he's ever met in his arms, until she jumped out of his arms, setting down her vase as she approached the waters on the ground kneeling down to touch it, making everyone watch as the water reacted to her mere presence, wrapping around her fingers and arm like a snake greeting it's best friend or deadliest foe.

"What happened here?" Aquarius asked making Natsu sigh as the rest looked at the ground, Ur's fate quite a tragic ending to an amazing life. Ultear looked at the ground, unwilling to be the one to tell Aquarius what happened to her mother all that time ago, while Era just watched with crossed arms, still missing some of the information regarding their current situation, more than confident Natsu could explain it to his spirit.

"So, uh, long story short, um, that's Deliora. An ice mage by the name of Ur Milkovich used a spell called _Iced Shell_ to seal Deliora away, as a last resort during a fight because there were two children nearby. And here we are, about a decade later. Iced shell is currently being broken by a dispeller called Moon Drip, and this is where I need your help." Natsu explained as he looked at Aquarius, hoping that even though he's known her for a short time, that she would be able, and willing to help since _Iced Shell_ is a forbidden spell. Aquarius sighed as she stood up, turning to Natsu in curiosity, wondering why she was summoned.

"What do you wa-" Aquarius began to ask as she walked towards Natsu, slightly swaying her hips as she looked him in the eyes, curious as to why he summoned her, only to get cut off by Erza.

"Sorry Aquarius, but that's enough! Natsu! Please explain yourself as to what is going on?" Erza yelled as she walked forward, having had patiently waited for him to explain himself but her patience ran out as she walked forward, standing behind Ultear, curious and almost a little annoyed at how easily he consorts with their enemies, seeing him comfortable around Ultear, not even having his guard up! 'What is going on here! I thought Natsu was into Mira?' Erza thought, ignoring the slight feel of jealousy she had towards Mira, her having had finally beaten her at one thing, or that's why she _thought_ she was jealous anyways.

"But, I thought I explained everything over the lacrima, didn't you hear me?" Natsu asked curiously making Erza's head turn to the side, a slight blush tainting her cheeks making Natsu look at her in annoyance, eyes wide open in shock.

"Did you break it?! I thought it was safe to give it to you, being the most responsible person here," Natsu said making Aquarius and Ultear look at him curiously as he ran his hand through his hair as he sighed while Erza bent over.

"I am sorry for breaking your expensive equipment! Please hit me!" Erza cried as she stayed bent over, as if she was waiting for Natsu to hit her as her long scarlet locks flowed down with gravity, barely an inch above the ground as she waited for Natsu to hit her making Aquarius look in amusement, remembering a pinkette that would say things along the same lines. Ultear simply looked at Erza in shock, not believing that the well-mannered, strict Titania was a masochist. Natsu sighed not worried about it, having had already deduced that a misplaced burst of Yuka's wave magic had disrupted the lacrima connection, meaning they just have to be repaired, hopefully...

"It's alright, Um... But... I think I might be able to save Ur," Natsu said silently making Erza's eye's shoot wide open, now understanding why he was getting everyone to work together because a spell of that magnitude may almost drain even Natsu's magical container. She nods her head, agreeing that it would be the best course of action, as Gray would no longer suffer from the guilt of being responsible for Ur's death, and Ultear would get her mother back, possibly leading to better relations within the council, which begs the question...

"You are indeed Ms. Ultear Milkovich of the Magic Council, correct?" Erza said as her head shot towards Ultear making her blush, not expecting the attention to be on her after Natsu dropped that bombshell. Aquarius, hearing Ultear's status then looked at the woman, having had thought she was just another mage, and was surprised to see how young she was, which either meant she was really strong, smart, or cunning, the latter of which would not end well for Natsu.

"That would be correct, Erza Scarlet, the Titania of Fairy tail," Ultear replied in kind, both of them using the other's titles as if they were competing or teasing each other, making Erza raise a brow as she cocked her hip, resting a gauntleted hand on the hilt of her sword. Ultear smirks as she gracefully stood up with her back to Natsu as she faced Erza, slightly bending down to dust off her kimono, emphasizing her nice shapely bottom, attracting Natsu's eyes making Aquarius smirk. She stood back up, her head turned towards Natsu, noticing the location of his eyes with a smirk on her face before she turned to Erza, oozing confidence while Erza scoffed at her less than subtle flaunt of her feminity, trying her damnedest to find something to blame Natsu about, but knowing her other guild members, he was actually pretty calm and respectful.

"May I please ask why such an esteemed member of our magic council could be found masquerading as _Mr. Zalty,_ and helping to revive a demon, even if you intend to kill it," Erza questioned making Natsu sigh while Ultear looked down at the ground, losing her confidence as Erza remembered that this is her mother that they are talking about.

"Look, we can all talk about that later, but every minute we wait means a lower chance of success." Natsu interrupted making everyone's eyes drift towards him, curious as to what he meant.

"How so? _Moon Drip_ is being called off, Sherry is seeing to it as we speak?" Erza questioned curiously making Ultear's eyes open in shock, having finally caught on to what Natsu intended, calling upon _The Water Barrer_ of all spirits. 'He intends for Aquarius to search for the rest of Ur's essence!' Ultear deduced as she looked at Aquarius, hoping upon all things that she would be able to successfully complete the task. Aquarius was the one to answer Erza's question, having had a thought as to what Natsu wanted her to do, but unsure as to whether it would be successful.

"The less we have of Ur's magic and essence, the harder it will be to revive her. I'm supposed to search for the rest of her essence. Recovery from a spell-like Iced shell is tricky because any simple shard of ice could contain her memories, her soul, her body, but, all of it is what makes Ur, Ur." Aquarius explained making Erza nod her head in understanding, having had not considered something along those lines. She was quickly enveloped by a large white flash, which quickly died down, revealing her to be in her _Sea Empress Armor_ making Aquarius smirk while all Ultear could feel was pure, unadulterated gratitude, as she watched them all come together to help, even at the risk of releasing Deliora while asking for nothing in return.

"How may I be of assistance?" Erza asked as she rested held the webbed longsword in her hand making Natsu shake his head with a bemused smirk on his face, knowing that Erza would not let them do this without at least trying to help, making him confident that while Aquarius brought in the rest of Ur's essence, Erza could help catch and control the water while he conducted the spell. Natsu's head shot up, hearing movement in the distance. Erza noticed Natsu's uncharacteristic move making her look at him, worried that something was wrong.

"Hey, Ultear, if they don't know who you are, I suggest you should put that mask back on," Natsu said aloud as he trained his eyes on the distance, trying to see who was coming their way, curious to see what state Yuka is in, if he was the one coming their way at all. Ultear simply looked at him, a smoldering look on her face as she sauntered forward, her hips once again catching Natsu's attention, making his eyes shoot to her hips as they swayed. She put her hand on her shoulder before leaning in, her lips at his ear as she spoke.

"Awww, wanna get rid of me already?" She taunted seductively with her mask in her left hand, quickly nipping his ear before she put her mask on, leaving Natsu a blushing mess, his bones locked in place, not used to such sexual taunting as he looked at Aquarius helplessly, as if he didn't know why she would do such a thing and hoping his new spirit would believe him while she simply smirked, amused by his obvious innocence, and as attracted to him as she was, competition never hurt anybody.

Erza, on the other hand, was completely livid as she stabbed her sword into the ground, thinking that Ultear had seduced Natsu into working with her and reviving her mother, completely oblivious to the fact this was his plan all along. 'How dare Ultear do that to Natsu!, he is completely innocent as far as she could tell, trying not to encourage such advantages while she completely threw herself on him, undignifying for a woman of her stature!' Erza internally declared, mistaking her jealousy for anger as she crossed her arms, trying not to lash out lest her guild take the responsibility for her actions.

Natsu turned back, trying to see if he could hear the person in the distance, and was surprised when he heard nothing.

"It may have been Yuka, he is still recovering from our fight," Erza explained making Natsu sigh, having had hoped that if Deliora is revived from all of this, that Yuka would be able to help block some of his attacks. 'Oh well, let's see if Igneel was right...' Natsu said with a sigh as he called upon his magic power, making a spiral of green flames shoot out from the ground below him, making Erza confused, as she thought he was trying to revive her, not kill her, until she remembers only his _Hell Fire Flames_ would have that capability, making her curious as to how many types of flames there were.

"Let's get going, time's a waisting..." Natsu said as he turned around, before he sat in front of Deliora, meditating, slowly increasing the amount of flames surrounding him as he called upon his magic while Aquarius and Erza approached the runoff, unsure if they will even be able to find enough of Ur's essence. Ultear, or Zalty felt useless, seeing all of them helping to save her mother while she was left powerless, before she sighed, grabbing the ring of Celestial keys out of her bust before sneakily putting them in Natsu's cloak as she kissed him on the cheek, knowing she will never be able to pay him back even if he is never able to save Ur, but the simple effort all of them put into this was amazing, as nobody had ever done something this scale for her, ever.

 **With Lucy and Yukino**

They were currently running through the forest towards the temple as much as they could without wearing themselves out, worried as to why there seems to be a freaking snow storm on top of the temple. Lucy stopped running, panting as she leaned against a tree while Yukino looked back, worried for her fellow Celestial Mage.

"I... have done too much- Running today..." Lucy panted out as Yukino walked to her side, putting a hand on her shoulder, just trying to provide support as she has no idea what they had done before rescuing her today. 'Man, are all Fairy Tail mages like this?' Yukino thought as Lucy sighed before beginning to run once more, seeing the space where she fought Anjelica, remembering the giant feminine, clothes-wearing rat, making a horrified look pass over her face confusing Yukino who just ignored it, choosing to focus on the temple, curious as to why they were coming here, when originally Natsu wanted them nowhere near here. They jogged in silence as they approached the temple, choosing to rather focus on keeping their breathing steady rather than waste more precious breath and oxygen.

Looking up, they noticed that the snowstorm above them was beginning to die down, making Yukino curious if Gray, the plain looking mage she saw further was responsible for such a thing.

"Hey Lucy, is Gray the one who made that snowstorm?" Yukino asked curiously as they approached the entrance of the temple, mere minutes away from finding the rest of their team, curious to see who won which battle, and hoping beyond belief that they would not have to face Deliora this day, and that everyone else had cleaned up their fights and they could rest easy, knowing that they had prevented an immortal demon from walking this plane once more.

Lucy looked up, squinting her eyes as she attempted to discern anything other than ice through the bitter winds and snowy torrents, and found herself lacking, almost feeling jealous of Natsu's abilities, until she realized the responsibility placed on his shoulders because of that. 'ON second thought... I'm okay being the Celestial Mage,' Lucy thought with a dying smirk when she remembered that she was no longer in possession of her keys, meaning that she pretty much, wasn't anything...

They slowly entered the entrance of the temple, surprising Yukino when she saw the huge hole in the ground. Lucy gestured towards the hole, making Yukino smile as she pulled out her keys. holding Libra's key in an attempt to summon even a fraction of Libra's gravity magic as a faint, but visible purple aura began to surround her, as she jumped down into the hole with Lucy in tow, cringing along the way as she tried to seem like the bigger person, the more experienced mage, not wanting Yukino to get the wrong impression of her guild.

"Gate of the Scales, I call upon thee, Grant me your power so that I can have control over Gravity," Yukino chanted as she held Libra's key, channeling her magic so that she would be able to have even a fraction of Libra's gravity magic as a faint, but visible purple aura began to surround her, as she jumped down into the hole with Lucy in tow, cringing along the way as she tried to seem like the bigger person, the more experienced mage, not wanting Yukino to get the wrong impression of her guild.

Lucy screamed when she felt herself gain more speed during the fall, only for it to halt as she fell under Yukino's flickering control, slowing towards the ground until she was a few feet above the ground before Yukino relinquished her control, making Lucy scream as she fell to the ground, landing on her feet as she cringed, waiting to feel the coming pain, and after a few seconds, she hesitantly opened an eye and was glad to see herself on solid ground once again.

Lucy turned to Yukino letting a meek, yet unconfident smile grave her face as she noticed the amused smile on Yukino's face, before she began to walk down the tunnel with Yukino in tow, hoping to see everyone standing around, securing Deliora meaning that this job would be complete. They walked down the tunnel in silence, the dense, low fog creating an ominous atmosphere around them, feeling dread build up in their chests as they heard nothing, no screeching demon, no cheering mages, no partying, not even fighting. All they heard was complete silence.

Lucy started running forward, a mixture of curiosity and horror driving her forward, unable to wait, needing to know definitively whether they succeeded or failed. Lucy reached the cavern first, what she saw sent her into shock making Yukino run even faster, worried that something had gone wrong, that they might not have been fast enough.

Yukino came upon the entrance to the cavern, where Deliora had been held for possibly the last three years, only to end up shocked seeing Natsu sitting on the ground, surrounded by a mountain of green fire while a beautiful bluenette and Erza were off to the side, sending a small but constant stream of water towards Natsu, confusing them further. Yukino stilled slightly when she recognized the masked man standing in the corner, confused that they were all in the same area without conflict, befuddling her more than anything else.

"Wh-What is going on here?" Yukino asked making the masked man, Erza, and the bluenette turn towards them, making Lucy run forward in shock, recognizing the bluenette, whose eyes shot open in shock when seeing them before a cold expression adorned her face, almost like someone trying to hide their pain...

"Not now Lucy," The bluenette said with a surprisingly hard tone to her melodic voice, her voluptuous body for all to see as she turned to them, wearing a blue with white outline bikini with gold bracelets on her arm and wearing aquamarine booty shorts with a scale design. Lucy was shocked, never having had seen Aquarius have legs, or even thought it possible, making her consider whether or not she actually required water to summon in the first place, or whether or not it was simply to restrict Lucy's summoning of her. 'Wait, stow that away for right now, how is she here, right now?! Didn't I gi-...' Lucy thought as she looked at Natsu in shock, her jaw dropping as she realized what this all had to mean. 'is... Does Natsu use Celestial Spirit Magic?!' Lucy thought in shock as she looked at the pinkette, and then back at Aquarius, curious as to why she was even summoned in the first place! Not to mention why is Erza in that blue armor?

"Jus-t, Someone PLEASE explain to me what is going on right now!" Lucy shouted making Zalty walk forward, prepared to explain to her what was going on, allowing the other three to keep working. Zalty, was, however, surprised when he noticed Yuka limping behind the two stellar mages, also curious as to what was going on.

"Yes, please explain what is going on. How does Natsu intend to dispell _Iced Shell,_ " Yuka asked as he limped up beside Lucy and Yukino in shock, making them jump in fright and turn around, glad to see that he was not attacking them, before turning back to Zalty, more worried as to what they were doing with Deliora rather than why they aren't fighting the dark mages anymore, if they could even call them that! Zalty took a deep breath, preparing to explain everything in one sentence, for maximum effect.

"Instead of using Iced Shell, Natsu, Erza and the Stellar Spirit intend to heal Ur, and bring her back from the brink of death." He explained is his creepy, scratch voice making everyone turn to Natsu in shock, more than aware that he was the one bearing the largest burden in the process of this madness. However, there was one recurring thought going through the mages head as the looked at Natsu, surprised that the mountain of green flames was almost the size of Deliora himself, curious as to how much magic it was going to take as they simply stood there, letting the more experienced, stronger mages attempt the revival process with only one thought going through their heads. 'Even if this is possible... what happens to Deliora?'

* * *

And onto the Reviews!

Natsuharemlover/24- I agree that the idea isn't as far-fetched due to your logic. However, by doing something like that it would almost add another arc to the story, requiring me to go into depth, continue switching to their perspectives until the arc comes to its peak and this is all settled. But then that could also change the future as well, would the council be killed by Jackal, would Lucy ever have to break a key? Would face ever come close to being activated, which is what got Wendy her dragon force in the first place! There's a lot to consider before I jump onto that train, but I will think about it, promise.

Guest/24- Yep, Ur should be coming back sometime very, very soon. I'm not sure if Aquarius and Lucy will bicker quite yet, as Lucy still regrets ending things with our favorite mermaid. They might at some point in the future due to being around each other more often, and at least Lucy will be able to rest easy knowing that Aquarius is with someone who can fight back, and not be forced into submission by Aquarius' aggression. Plus, I always felt its harder to be friends when you're the boss.

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 **Do NOT expect every chapter to be this long, I'm just doing my best to keep my few chapter promise for the end of the Galuna Island arc, and it only depends on what happens next or if it will be done next chapter, but Ur SHOULD be back by then. Sorry.**

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About Gray's armor, if I didn't give a good enough description, which I didn't otherwise I wouldn't be writing this, Google God Armor to get a better idea of what I had in mind, should be one of the first images to pop up.

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Do try and remember Gray won't be nearly as good as hand to hand in canon because Natsu and he didn't fight as much.


	26. A Demons First Breath

And Onto the Story!

Lucy and Yukino watched the mounting of green fire around Natsu grow larger than Deliora, completely filling the entire cavern making the others watch in shock as it began to condense, before growing once more.

"Yuka," Natsu called out with his eyes still closed, continuing to meditate while holding the gate for Aquarius open, making the bushy eyebrows man look at him curiously, hoping he could be of assistance.

"Erza said you are injured if required to fight, how long could you last?" Natsu asked aloud making everyone but Aquarius and Erza look at him curiously, the mermaid having to use her complete focus to mentally scour the depths of the earth, searching for the rest of Ur's essence, barely being able to bring in over two ounces a minute, while Erza then received the water, using her sword to direct the water towards Natsu, making sure not to let it enter the flames until Natsu gave the go.

"Unfortunately, given my current magic reserves, maybe half an hour? Depends if I'm required to go on the off-" Yuka responded honestly, only to be interrupted by a small green rocket of fire barreling towards him, not even having enough time to set up a defense or yell in shock before it impacted his chest, causing a green aura to form around him while Lucy and Yukino watched I. Terror as a man not even two feet away was engulfed in fire.

Lucy clenched her eyes, not wanting to watch what the flames could do to him as she waited for him to scream in pain, and waited... She slowly opened her eyes, only to see a completely rejuvenated, and healed Yuka flexing his arms, looking at Natsu in shock at what a mere handful of those flames were capable of, before his eyes widened as he looked at the mountain of flames surrounding the _Wizard Saint,_ a small grin growing on his face as he could almost feel their imminent success.

"Salamander... Thank you." Yuka said as he walked towards the edge of the cavern before he too sat down, closing his eyes and meditating, having had totally understood the cherry haired mage, preparing for an upcoming battle of seismic proportions that the world of magic hadn't seen size the dragon war, and hoping that everyone would survive such a battle.

Lucy and Yukino continued to stand on the side, watching everyone prepare in their own ways, Zalty began working on the walls of the room, turning them to dust and expanding the battlefield, hoping that they would be able to contain such a thing within the room, and hoping it wouldn't come to that.

Erza looked up from her mentally tasking work, annoyed to see Lucy and Yukino stand on the sides awkwardly, simply standing around while everyone else did the work. She noticed that Lucy's stare was almost always directed to the _Stellar Spirit_ beside her, confusing her as they technically never should have met due to her current knowledge, making her wonder if she had somehow run into Natau before on one of his covert missions, or simply coveted the Legendary Water Bearer.

'Why Is Lucy so fixated on Aquarius? Who even addressed the blonde by her name', making her curious if Lucy was a legend upon the spiritual plane, not having any other explanation for such a situation. She thought back to everything she knew about the blonde, remembering how Makarov complained that Natsu wrecked the pier in Hargeon with a title wave, she specifically remembers him scolding Natau for that since Hargeon is a port town, that relies on fisheries for its economy, and a ruined pier could greatly impact their economy. She remembered his forlorn counter-argument, saying that it was the new girl's fault...

Erza's eyes shot open in shock, finally realizing the connection between the blonde and the mermaid. 'Aquarius was Lucy's spirit! Why is Aquarius now Natsu's?' Erza thought, confused as to why a blonde who treated her keys, her friends like they were her life, but would simply just get rid of one, or give it away. 'Well, it looks like we'll find out soon enough...' Erza thought as she noticed that the mermaid's eyes periodically moved to the blonde as if she was checking to make sure she was okay.

Heavy footsteps could be heard echoing down the tunnel Yukino and Lucy stood in front of, making them jump in shock as they turned around. Lucy's hand shot towards her heart, swearing she could feel it beating out of her chest while her other hand gravitated towards her whip, prepared to defend the mages behind her while they each carried out their designated tasks.

Yukino's hands shot towards her keys, her hand clamping around a full, silver key, as she had already summoned Libra too much, and the rest like Polaris wouldn't fit in the cavern, safely at least. Aquarius turned to Erza nodding, as she began to take over the full Bruyn of their work as Erza walked forward, knowing that if Lyon had beaten Gray, the girls before them stood no chance, even if he is injured. Erza walked forward, staying in her _Sea Empress Armor,_ hoping that it is Gray and that he had finally gotten past the guilt.

They watched with a baited breath, waiting for the first sign of anything, voice, height, hair color... Anything that would let them know which pupil of Ur had prevailed. Now that they had gotten closer, Erza quickly realized that they were walking slowly, with an uneven pace, almost as if they relied on the wall to stand. She lowered her guard, confident that someone in that state would be unable to get off a sneak attack upon them.

They could now see something shine green, a reflection from Natsu's healing flames as he prepared to resurrect Ur, making Erza raise her sword once more, knowing without a doubt that Gray's ice had a distinct blue ting until she remembered that the light being reflected was green itself.

Erza was quickly growing tired, as she inspected the small chunk of ice, noticing the certain curve and shape to the ice as the man continued to move closer. 'Is that... A piece of armor?' Erza thought as she looked at the man hobbling towards them, more and more of their armor becoming evident.

It seemed that Natsu knew the answer before everyone else, the green fire forming a solid arm before it shot outSpirallung around Yuka before soaring over the three girls, making Yukino turn around, shocked that he had such control over the fire as the mountain around him continued to grow.

Yukino turned back around, surprised to see the arm go down the tunnel before opening its hand, the flames now illuminating the tunnel as it grabbed a man covered in an ornate, intricate armor made completely out of blue-tinged ice making Erza sigh as she turned around before aiding Aquarius in her work, surprised by how much Aquarius was how able to pull in, the rate having increased quite substantially while she stood guard, knowing that none of the other mages present were anywhere near capable of defending themselves as they prepared for the calamity that was no doubt approaching them.

Both Yukino and Lucy watched, confused as to why Natsu picked the man in a blue, icy armor up, pretty much retracting back into the mountain of flames around him, making them shocked as to just how good Natsu's senses are, almost as if he had the whole cavern completely mapped out in his head without fault or fail, being able Gray into the mountain of green fire without injuring, or bumping into anyone as Gray was to struggle.

Gray was pulled into the middle of the mountain, right above Natau, held with his arms out, almost as if he was crucified as the flames rejuvenated Gray, filling his completely as the green flames entered Gray's body, healing him from the I side out, melting off the ice bandages leaving him as good as new, before he was thrown out of the flames making Lucy glare while Yukino laughed, noticing this was Natsu's way of showing his annoyance to Gray's state.

Gray flew threw the air before landing on his hands and knees, utterly confused as to how the flames made him feel better than ever, stronger than he could possibly imagine, however, there was something else on his mind. He tore the helmet off his head, staring in anger, curious as to firstly, why were they working harmoniously without conflict, and what the hell they were doing anyway.

Gray stared at Natsu in anger, almost certain he was was the one responsible for this idiocy.

"What the Hell are you doing!" Gray yelled in anger as he then stared at Erza and Aquarius, gobsmacked as to how she would allow such a thing to happen, as he was almost certain that Lyon's subordinates were preparing to fight Deliora. He was however curious as to where the beautiful blue haired woman came from but was even more curious as to why both she and Erza were directing currents of water towards the Iced Shell, but carefully avoiding the mountain of green flames that began to condense, no longer growing as Natsu sought control over them.

Gray's mind was almost assaulted by everything going on, leaving him a mixture of curious, awed, appreciative, annoyed, and enraged. All of those rolled into one converted to the dark side, leaving him a stewing mess of anger and rage as he took heavy steps forward, intending on ending this madness, starting with Natsu, confident that while he was in this armor with a full magical container, not being drained by the summoning of this armor would allow him to beat Natsu in single combat, especially when he was too preoccupied with his spell.

Lucy and Yukino watched in a mixture of confusion and a slight bit of fear, unsure as to why Gray was about to attack Natau. Lucy was about to rush forward, only to be stopped by Yukino who knew Lucy would be able to do nothing in her current state, especially since they were beginning to feel the cold waft off of Gray.

Erza was about up and intervene, knowing Gray well enough that he would attack Natau in a way to protect his master. She was beaten to the punch by Zalty between Natsu and Gray, who was too furious to even notice his presence, or remember that Zalty was, in fact, Ur's daughter, Ultear.

Erza looked at Ultear who held her gaze, well, She could only assume they held eye contact tact but the message was clear, 'I won't let Gray prevent us from rescuing my mother, we're too close to give up, or stop now. I'll protect Natsu, even with my life if need be, please just save my mother.'

" _Ice Make; Volley Of the Fallen God!"_ Gray shouted as hundreds of arrows shout out from. Behind him, every single one aiming to disable, and incapacitate Natsu so that he could not continue. The arrows were sharp and true, flying for their intended target as Natau made no move to defend himself. Gray watched in relief as the arrows were not melted or weakened by fire, meaning that Natsu did not intend to defend himself, even if Gray felt guilty about attacking someone who made no effort to defend themselves, he at least found relief in the fact Ur would be watched as the arrows were about to make impact, only to watch in shock as they began to wither away into nothing, completely gone leaving Natsu perfectly fine and healthy.

Gray's eyes quickly darted around before locking on the only person in the room he knew capable of that, as Natsu would have at least left steam. His eyes locked onto Zalty, feeling anger well up inside him because of who was behind the mask. He was about to make his anger known while revealing their identity until he heard ice crack as it impacted the ground. Looking down Gray was shocked to see his _Armor of The Fallen Gods_ turn to dust right in front of his eyes, Gray quickly tried to infuse his magic back into the ice, but it was too late.

Everyone aware watched in shock as Gray's armor began to crumble to the ground, Ultear focused on vaporizing the ice that held the armor together, the joints, and the clothes it was bonded to. His lower vanguard first, then his knee guards and his breath plate, they watched his face contort into anger and astonishment as his backplate crashed into the ground, shortly followed by his vambraces and then his shin guards, his armor almost completely ruined now, leaving his torn, bloody clothes visible to all who cared to look.

Gray was literally shaking in anger as he watched Zalty approach him before he fell the ground under his feet turn to dust and then reform, leaving him momentarily trapped, forcing him to at least listen to her words.

"We are not killing Ur, in fact, the Salamander intends to revive her, you are a living witness of what a small amount of those green flames could do, but all of that? Could revive a dead man." Zalty said in a fake, baritone voice as Gray's eyes shot open in a mixture of shock and pain as he looked at Natsu, having never reached that conclusion simply because it was so impossible it wasn't worth even trying to believe. But, now that it was all explained and laid out for him, he could only fall to his knees as tears rolled down his pale cheeks. Lucy rushed forward, knowing that she could help her friend, even without her magic.

Gray simply laid there, not even noticing that his feet were back on solid ground as he looked to Erza and the blue haired woman, confused as to what they were doing. Lucy was now by his side, laying his head upon her shoulder as she hugged him, Gray watched Natsu do his work, unsure as to what will happen if he truly succeeds. Zalty, noticing that Gray was more receptive to their plan, continued on.

"Now I can only assume you are curious as to wh-" Zalty began only to be interrupted by yet another person walking down the tunnel, their heavy footsteps echoing as they ran through the tunnel, while Yukino brought her keys out, thinking that it was Lyon, here to stop them in a weird sense . She turned to Natsu, almost waiting for him to intervene for a third time, only to watch as a barely noticeable smirk grew on his face.

By now, what used to be a large, mountain flames was now a simply ball held between Natsu's hands as he now waited for the girls to finish putting Ur back together, continuing to meditate as to not lose control of the now highly volatile ball of flames, not knowing what would happen if they were to touch Deliora... And hi early too scared to find out.

Yukino turned back towards the tunnel, watching as Sherry appeared from the darkness, bending over as she rested her hands on her knees, panting as she tried to catch her breath, having had worried as to what was found on, and hoping that Yuka and Tobi were safe. Erza and Aquarius continued their work, by now even the Titania felt tire, all Thai focusing was extremely tasking, especially since she was barely able to control Ur's unnatural water with her _Sea Empress Armor._

After Sherry caught her breath she stood up, surprised to see just how far along they were. It appeared as if Natsu had completely finished channeling his magic, now simply meditating, maintaining control over the flames. As she looked towards Yuka she was surprised to see him perfectly healed and healthy, full of magic and life as he sat on the ground, meditating and preparing himself to fight.

Turning to the side she was surprised to see a completely healed, if torn and tattered Gray resting on the ground surrounded by shattered and splintered ice as he laid on the ground, his eyes never leaving the demon before him. He was being aided by the big titted blonde, who was making.

She saw Zalty standing a few dozen paces in front of him, just simply standing there in between the demon and Gray, making Sherry curious as to why Zalty was standing there but left that question for later. She could hear the sounds of rushing water, which confused her as there shouldn't have been any more runoff from the iced shell. Her eyes shot toward it, worrying about the running water until she realized it was rushing towards the iced shell, she followed it with her eyes, tracing it towards a stunningly beautiful, pale bluenette in nothing more than a bikini and booty shorts. Accompanied by the Titania in some sort of aquatic-inspired armor.

She even noticed the silver-haired teenage girl that they had held captive. A girl that she specifically remembered was sent to the village to stop Tobi. She turned to the blonde, noticing her standing up. 'She was the other girl sent to stop Tobi from spreading his love across the village... The cat too! Where's the cat? No! More importantly... Where's Tobi!' Sherry thought, panicked as she looked around, looking for any signs of the cat, or her friend. Zalty noticed Sherry's erratic movements, tilting his head slightly as he looked at her, curious as to what was causing her such panic.

Lucy had finished checking in Gray, turning around to go back to Yukino's side, only to see her looking at Sherry with worry. She too looked at Sherry, only for her eyes to widen when she sees Sherry experiencing what seemed to be a panic attack, her eyes darting around sporadically, her chest heaving with uneven breaths as she searched for something. Lucy jogged forward, before stopping beside Yukino, now wanting to interrupt anyone.

"Yukino! What's going on, is she okay?" Yukino asked, worried for her fellow female mage, no matter what they have been trying to do for the last three years, if both Erza and Natsu could easily cohabitation and work with them, then they were good enough to work with, especially since the other, senior mages were preoccupied with their own jobs, leaving a matter like this to them.

"I... Really don't know, she just started to look around before she began to hyperventilate," Yukino replied as she stared worriedly at the pinkettes before she looked around, hoping to see what made the love-obsessed woman panic like this, having had been grateful that Sherry had allowed her to shower every so often, and felt that this was a way she could pay her back.

Both women looked around, curious as to what was amiss until they both realized what was missing. 'Tobi!' they thought simultaneously as they looked each other in the eyes before rushing towards the girl, Lucy put her hand on the pinkettes right shoulder when Yukino stood to her left, snapping Sherry out of her panic enough so that she. Ould utter a word.

"Tobi... Where's Tobi!" Sherry asked as she looked at the two girls who were instructed to stop him, and since they were left standing, and he was nowhere to be seen, she could only feel fear grasp her heart as she worried for her friend, because as weird or unique as each of them were, they accepted that, and helped each other grow past the Deliora.

"He's alive! He's safe!" Lucy said as she let go of Sherry's shoulder, holding her hands' palm outwards,.trying to calm the pinkettes down, wanting to let everyone else do their work without interruption

Sherry's eyes shot to Lucy's, making Lucy's heart clench at the tears rolling down her face, proving to Lucy that these were not regular dark mages, as they cared more for each other than Eisenwald ever would have.

"Where is he? Where is my friend I love so," Sherry asked, her voice yet a meek whisper of the wind making Yukino look down in guilt, having had never considered the repercussions of having Polaris fight Tobi, having had momentarily forgotten about his overwhelming strength in favor of his metal defense. 'Happy was so sure they would be able to heal him... But what if he's too late? What if the damage is too severe?' Yukino thought as her heart fell, having had just wanted to impress Happy with her strategy, and completely forgetting to ask Polaris to control his strength.

Lucy, quickly noticed that Yukino was too caught up in her own thoughts, and answered Sherry's question hoping to placate her, without revealing too much information about just how injured he is.

"He was injured while we were fighting him, Happy is taking him to the healer of the village, telling them that he is from our team," Lucy answered, internally cringing with just how bad she explained that while Sherry's eyes widened, worried how bad his injuries are.

"Is he okay?! How good is the village healer? How is the cat properly holding him so that he doesn't aggrava-" Sherry rambled, making Lucy smile slightly, having had a completely different image of Sherry in her head, having had once thought she was an evil psychotic bitch, and now realizing that she is simply a young girl that cared so much about her friends that she would do anything for them.

"She has healing magic, they'll be fine!" Lucy said as she held Sherry's hands preventing her from flailing them around, watching her face clam once she heard that Tobi was going to be fixed with magic.

"But, what if-" Sherry asks, her panics easily queried, but gear's grasp on her heart was not completely loosened as she continued with the 'what ifs' making Lucy smile, teaching her that she should never judge a book by its cover.

Unknown to Lucy, Yukino was also calmed by Lucy's explanation, her heart no longer feeling as if it would beat out of her chest as she stared at Sherry, even though a dark voice in her head argued it was only because she didn't know just how much pain Tobi was in, and just how shattered his shoulder was.

"Thank you," Sherry said quietly as she lunged forward,.catching not Yukino and Lucy off guard as she wrapped them in a hug, making Zalty shake his head in amusement as he turned away from the girls, having had heard enough to know that Sherry was being weird once more. Zalty wasn't the only one listening in, as Natsu has slightly turned his head, having had been curious as to where the obnoxious dog and cat were and was surprised to hear that Happy had risked the help of the villagers, which only meant how bad his injury truly was. 'just how strong are those two? Happy was told not to interfere and Lucy only has her whip... Looks like I'm getting another apprentice.' He thought as he opened his eyes, surprised to see just how much water was surrounding the iced shell.

"Erza, Gray, Come here," Natsu said catching everyone off guard. Everyone turned to him, surprised as to how fast this was all going, what would have taken over 3 years to release Deliora may all happen in the matter of a few mere minutes. Lucy was the most shocked, having had known just how taxing it could be to summon Aquarius, and after everything Natsu has done in the last few hours, let alone producing and condensing all of those green flames, she was surprised as to how he was still perfectly fine, his skin keeping it's slightly tanned complexion as he beckoned the senior mages towards him.

Gray slowly moved forward, still trying to come to grips with the fact that Natsu may honestly be able to save his master, leaving him completely conflicted, guilt building up in his chest as the man he taunted and belittle for so long went through so much trouble and effort to save his master, when it probably would have just taken one of his stronger _Hell Fire Flames_ Spell to completely demolish the whole thing, if his understanding of the flames properties was correct.

Erza turned back to Aquarius, making sure she was okay with her going to Natsu, and after a nod of her head she continued controlling the last of the water as she walked towards Natsu before stopping beside him, looking down at him with curiosity, having had slightly thought he required more magic, and was shocked that he was still fine. 'Shouldn't those healing flames require a lot of magic? Especially looking at how he healed Gray and Yuka as well...' Erza considered as she turned back to Gray, unsurprised to see his slow pace as he walked around Zalty, his eyes never leaving Natsu and the demon before him as he topped by the pinkettes side.

"I need you two to work together... Gray, can you fuse Ur's essence back into the ice while Erza controls the water?" Natsu asked aloud making Erza's and Gray's eyes shot open in shock, having had considered how this whole thing would work, but never having had thought they would essentially have to recreate the Iced shell... Erza's looked back to Aquarius, knowing that she would be able to hear him and was unsurprised to see the worry on her face. 'If this is the wrong water...' Was the unanimous thought going through both their heads as they looked at Natsu, shocked to see that he was 100% confidence in their work.

'He barely even knows me... And yet he completely trusted me to do this, if I messed up he will Not be able to revive Ur...' Aquarius thought as she looked at Natsu, a warm feeling growing in her chest as she saw no hint or sign of worry on his face, meaning he had 100% trust in her ability, causing an unfamiliar sense to stir in her chest as she looked at him, feeling it rush to her cheeks as she felt determination bloom in her body, not wanting to destroy that trust as her magic rushed through her as her eyes glowed blue as she stepped into the water, continuing forward until she was completely submerged making Natsu smirk as Lucy gawked, never having seen Aquarius so determined, or complacent? in her life.

Sherry watched in curiosity, not wanting to forget this moment, knowing that she will hopefully never get the chance to watch a Wizard Saint revive a woman from a block of ice. Zalty watched with hope blooming in her chest as she saw Erza put the tip of her longsword into the water, concentrating as the water began to swirl around the sword as it climbed up Erza's arm, beginning to completely swirl around Erza in a tsunami of water as she pointed her barely visible sword at the iced Shell, the water torrenting around her completely shrouding her body as she used her sword, directing what moved like a serpent of water, that began to wrap around the _Iced Shell,_ and after a few minutes it began to almost completely hide the demon as Gray stepped forward, uncertain if he will be able to perfectly fuse the ice together. and not just freeze the ice to make an outside wrap around the shell itself. 'If I don't do this right, I won't only be responsible for her death, but this time, it will be real... Not only will I have failed in saving her. but this time, she'll be dead, for real.' Gray thought as he stared at the water, swirling around the iced shell, feeling trepidation about to consume his mind as he simply stared at the iced shell, worried about what would happen if he failed.

Natsu and Erza stared at Gray, unable to feel anger or annoyance at his hesitance because this is his largest demon, his greatest failure, and here he was with the opportunity to save her and found himself too daunted by the task. He was surprised when he heard footsteps behind him, turning around he was shocked to see that Zalty was walking forward, before reaching upwards, grasping for the mask. Sherry watched in shock as Zalty took off his mask for the first time, only to watch in shock as he was enveloped in a large flash of white, before it dissipated, leaving a stunning woman with long black hair wearing a one-sleeved white kimono that perfectly accentuated her figure. The strain of controlling the water continuously swirling around the Iced Shell was beginning to take its toll on Erza, her arm beginning to shake as she continued to point the sword at the Iced Shell, using her other arm to support the sword arm.

Gray turned to Ultear in shock, curious as to how she was able to help. She turned to him, with an almost expressionless look on her face as she locked eyes with him, no longer caring about her mission or the necklace around his neck. It wasn't even that she didn't trust Gray. It was something she had to do for herself, because otherwise all she would have to blame was herself, as she is just as capable of freezing water as Gray.

"Gray, it's your fault she's in this mess, help me get her out of it," Ultear said as she walked forward, a faint pink aura surrounding her as she channeled her sparsely used Ice Magic, making Gray walk forward while Natsu smirked, having had hoped that Ultear would be able to help, having a personal understanding of how it could feel to be abandoned, even if he didn't know the exact circumstances of their split.

Gray shook his head as he stepped forward, hoping to physically clear his head of worries, as he approached what could be Ur's first breath in about a decade or so. He stopped beside Ultear, watching the ice water swirl around the Iced Shell, until they heard some water rushing behind them, making them stop before turning around, not wanting to fuse the essence onto the Iced Shell more than once.

Aquarius was slowly walking out of the water, a small trail of water following her as she approached the iced Shell, her eyes continuing to glow blue as she focused on the Iced shell, the water behind her rushing forward to join the rest of Ur's essence, now grasping control over the water swirling around the Iced Shell. The water began to speed up, almost moving faster than their eye could see, until it all stopped. Erza was now panting slightly as she stabbed the tip of her sword into the cold rocky ground as she rested both hands on the sword, completely drained from having to control Ur's essence, the water imbued with magic, making it much more volatile and harder to control. 'Ur, truly was the Queen of Winter,' Erza thought as she continued to stay in her Sea Empress armor, just in case Aquarius required her assistance once more.

Lucy watched in shock, having had seen Erza struggle to control the water for more than a few minutes but to see Aquarius jump right in after doing most of the work for the past twenty minutes, it was almost astonishing, as Erza was renowned for being the strongest female in Fairy Tail, it really drove it home just how strong the spirits can be. Sherry and Yukino watched in a mixture of awe and amazement, almost glad that they were there to watch this moment because if it works this will be a moment they will never forget. Yuka even cracked open his left eye, as he continued to build and control his magic just in case everything goes wrong, having experienced a simple amount of the flames, it would be very simple for Natsu to simply mess up, and revive the demon, even with control of his level.

"Aquarius, I trust that all of Ur's essence is accounted for?" Natsu asked as he continued to control the green ball of condensed flames between his hands, taxing his mind for the sheer amount of constant control is required to keep that many flames condensed to less than four inches in diameter. Gray and Ultear simply stood by, gathering their magic, causing respective pink and blue icy fractal auras to form around them, as they joined hands, preparing to freeze the ice as they quietly whispered back on how they wanted to freeze it.

"Yes, Natsu-sama' Aquarius replied as she continued to focus on controlling the water, her eyes continuing to glow that aquamarine blue making Natsu quirk a brow while Lucy's jaw dropped lower than her belt making Yukino laugh while Erza sent a curiously annoyed look towards Natsu, feeling something akin to when Mira started to get all this attention from her modelling, having had always been equals in everything, and had found herself almost jealous of the platinum-haired barmaid, even if she was glad that she had found a way to support herself that made her happy after the... accident.

"Are we really going to try a unison raid?" Gray whispered curiously, as he curiously looked at Ultear, only to hear her scoff as she looked at him in annoyance, disbelief apparent on her face as she turned to him.

"No, stupid. We need to work together. I can't have you screwing this up, this is too important to me." Ultear said as she looked him in the eye, causing Gray to bite back a scathing retort, having an understanding of just how important this could be, as he could only imagine how hard it would be, if this went wrong, having had not seen her mother in probably a decade or so, and even if he was curious on the specifics of why they were split, this was definitely not the time.

"I have a spell," Gray said as he looked at her, making her roll her eyes as she looked back at him with an almost sardonic look on her face.

'So do I, Are you ready Aquarius? Natsu?" Ultear asked making Gray close his eyes, almost afraid to do anything, until he felt Ultear squeeze his hands, making him realize she was just as, or even more nervous than him, she was just a lot better at hiding it, probably due to the fact that her mother's life, his master's life, was partially in their hands, almost grateful that Natsu was the one doing all the hard work. They stared at the water completely encasing the Iced shell, only to feel an intense burning sensation in their palms, making them jump apart and look at Natsu, equal parts annoyed and worried.

"I understand you're stressed, and I understand you're worried. But, I'm doing all the heavy lifting, just do your best okay?" Natsu said making both Ultear and Erza look at him skeptically, having had a different understanding of the situation earlier, but from the serious expression on his face they hoped he wasn't lying.

"Right, let's get this show on the road," Gray said as he closed his eyes, lowering himself into his ice make stance, the blue aura around his body almost completely disappearing as a large magic circle formed in front of him, all from the assumption that due to the magic consumption it had on Erza, it would take a lot of magic power to freeze as well. He looked back at Aquarius for a second, curious as to how she was fairing and was surprised to see her in perfect condition, probably due to the fact she is made of magic power? Gray had no clue.

Aquarius, and Lucy both knew different, however, as did Yukino, even if she did not realize it in the current situation. Once a summoned spirit's personal container runs out, they can either begin to draw upon their casters magic container or return back to the Celestial Plane. This is also part of the reason why Celestial Spirits draw upon the caster's magic to be summoned, as they themselves do not have enough power to cross the planes. 'I cannot believe just how much magic power this man has,' Aquarius thought in shock once she ran out of magic, having to almost scour every inch of the seven seas to ensure that Ur was complete is insanely tasking, both magically and mentally. She was surprised however, the minute she ran out, having had been slightly worried that Natsu would have been on his last limbs due to all the healing flames required for this process, and was shocked to feel that he barely went over 40% of his magical power, which made her extremely curious as to how a young Dragon Slayer would possess this much magic at such a young age.

Everyone watched with bated breath as Ultear created her own magic circle on the ground, Her Faint pink aura having had disappated just like Gray's, a completely different magic circle forming before her as she closed her eyes, completely focusing because she didn't completely believe Natsu, thinking that he was lying to them to make them feel better. Erza realized that they wouldn't be able to take visual cues, closing their eyes to help them focus on this tasking project, so she decided to help out with that. She gave them a minute or so, and once they stopped increasing the size of their magical circles.

Sherry, Yukino, and Lucy were afraid to move, talk, or make a sound at all. What was happening in front of them was almost so unreal. This was no longer just an idea, they were actually going to do this. This was really going to happen. One way or another, the Iced shell would be disappated, and then Deliora would be released. Because once Ur is revived, that means Deliora will be as well, with nothing to hold him back. 'Can a demon actually survive that though? No food, No water, nothing to help itself actually function as a demon? However, they function in the first place.' Lucy considered as she stared at the demon, unsure as to why Lyon was so determined he would be able to fight Deliora when he should technically be dead...

"When you're ready, on three," Erza said aloud, having had finally recovered physically from controlling all of the water, having had never actually attempted something on such a scale, more using the armor for battle advantages, or to put out small fires after a battle is complete. Natus and Yuka simply sat there from their position nearby, feeling the area before them beginning to get colder as they prepared to let off their respective spells to freeze the water, while Aquarius continued to keep the water held up, noticing what would have taken up an approximate one percent of her magic, which is simply a perspective number, only used up about one-tenth percent of Natsu's magic, if she was feeling his magic right, which is completely mind-boggling, as her last caster wouldn't have been able to even power her for a tenth of a second for something like this magically taxing.

"One," Erza said as she watched Gray and Ultear prepare to cast their spells, and finally revive Ur.

"Two," Erza said as their eyes shot open, making sure they landed their attack perfectly on target, as to not freeze the other's ice, and miss the rest of it.

"One!" Erza shouted as their magic swelled up, Ultear dropping to the ground, making Yukino curious as to why they were using different spells if they had the exact same magic, and teacher, even if for different periods of time. The use of such ice spells completely dropping the temperature of the room at least twenty degrees making Aquarius slightly shiver as she still had droplets of water rolling down her body, until a burst of heat flashed out of Natsu, washing over both Erza and Aquarius, making them almost sigh in relief, Aquarius was momentarily curious as to how he created the heat burst of heat as she felt no change in Natsu's magic power whatsoever, which was surprising because it was a lasting temperature.

" _Ice Make; Fish Net!"_ Gray shouted as a large bluish net shot out of the magic circle, coming in contact with the water, not freezing on contact which is exactly what both of them expected as the net then began to grow, expanding to his side of the Iced Shell, before it began to freeze it, small burs on the net digging into the Iced shell, beginning to fuse the newly frozen ice into the Iced Shell. Ultear got her spell off at the exact same time, perfectly aimed at her side of shell, making Erza nod her head, beginning to understand more and more why Ultear was part of the council, her knowledge in different magic was very evident, but she had a feeling they weren't even breaking the surface of her knowledge.

"Ice Make; Rose thorns!" Ultear said as she slammed her hands into the ground, causing dozens of stems to shoot out of the ground, hugging the water surrounding the iced shell, digging in with its thorns as it grew around her half of the iced shell making Sherry look in a mixture of awe and amazement, thinking it looked so beautiful.

"They are healing her... With their love," Sherry said softly making Yukin and Lucy look at her as if she was a fool before they remembered her weird personality quirk. They watched as the blue net, and the pink rose thorns continued to grow, completely covering each side of the Iced shell, properly freezing the Ice onto the shell, completely fusing it on as the thorns began to grow onto the net, fusing together making a purplish next, the burs turning into thorns as the pink thorns began to grow into a more cubically ordered pattern as the whole ice began to grow purple, each sides changing colour respectively, with multiple roses bursting into life making even Aquarius watch in awe as it almost completely turned into a piece of art while a smile grew on Natsu's face, glad that they were completely working together, and glad that they were this close to reviving Ur, having had found himself bored and tired out from all that has gone on in the past few days, just finding himself glad that he should be able to have a fun fight after this is all said and done.

Once both Ultear and Gray were completely certain that it was all frozen, they cut off their magic output, Gray completely falling to his knees, but not because of the amount of magic it took, but because it worked perfectly, even though they used different spells, and probably had different practices, they each froze it at exactly the same rate. He looked to Ultear, surprised to see her actually show a little bit of emotion, seeing a small, but real smile on her face as she realized just how close they were to reviving her mother, having had long decided to hate her mother after knowing why she left her to be tortured and experimented upon, before taking on two new apprentices.

Gray got up, before taking a step back, before looking to Natsu as Lucy ran forward, always ready to give moral support when she lacked the strength or ability to actually help. Ultear simply stood there, admiring the Iced shell, knowing they did their part perfectly, before glaring at Natsu, almost daring him to mess this up. Erza, surprisingly, walked forward, before resting her hand on Ultear's shoulder, making the Dark haired official look at the Titania curiously.

"Come, it's Natsu's turn now," Erza said making Ultear nod her head in agreement before following Erza away from Natsu and the completed Iced Shell while Lucy talked to Gray, asking about his magic curious as to the difference between him, Ultear, and Lyon's respective versions. Everyone stood back at a safe distance of at least twenty feet, including Aquarius who said she wanted to see this project through to the end, and Yuka who had joined Sherry and the others, before standing silently by the pinkettes side, making almost no movements as he watched Natsu, fascinated to see the man who rose through the Wizard Saint ranks faster than any others mastery in fire magic.

Natsu also slowly walked forward, holding the ball of condensed green fire in one hand as he approached the iced shell, beginning to become completely surrounded by an aura of dark green flames which made both Erza and Gray both a little concerned, curious as to why the flames were a slightly different color. 'Isn't that the dark tinge accompanied by his _HellFire Flames?"_ Erza considered as they all watched, curious as to how he intended to do revive Ur.

He stopped right in front of the _Iced Shell_ before taking a deep breath, not nearly as confident on the inside as he seemed, never having had tried healing anything on this scale, let alone with someone who didn't technically have a body. He took one second, to reconsider everything, which would be a complete jerk move before he went along with his plan, taking one last deep breath before making his move.

He slammed the hand holding the green ball of fire into the Iced shell, breaking the condensed barrier of fire on the outside of the ball, almost causing a small explosion of green flames as it completely engulfed the Iced Shell. They all watched, confused since the flames didn't do anything. The flames began to darken as the Iced Shell actually began to shrink making Gray try to run forward and stop him, only to be blocked by a dark red and black wall of flames to shoot up in front of them, making him stop short, the force from stopping almost making him fall back, not wanting to come even within one foot of them. Ultear was also distressed, especially given Gray's reaction, and tried to use her arc of time to dissipate the flames, and was shocked when she felt it completely eat her spell before she was able to cast it, making her eyes widen in shock, finally realizing how he passed through the ranks so quickly. They turned around, only to see bars of fire behind them, blocking them from interfering with the spell.

And that was all they saw, for the few minutes, patiently waiting, unless you were Gray or Ultear, as Natsu continued on with his spell, making almost everyone annoyed that Natsu essentially locked them a cage, without even letting them see what he was doing. Aquarius was so annoyed that she even decided to return to the celestial spirit realm.

 **Natsu PoV.**

He sighed after he finished forming the walls, as interfering now would only mean the death of Ur, and this time there would be no fixing, no healing. She would be gone, for good, forgotten to the world after having mysteriously disappeared a decade ago, without a trace. he continued to steadily increase the amount of _Hell Fire Flames,_ the healing green flames completely preventing the _Hell Fire flames_ from injuring Ur at all, rather tearing away at the magic behind the _Iced Shell_ itself, slowly breaking apart the bonds of the spell, and therefore allowing him to remove her body, and complete essence from the Iced Shell, while also leaving her perfectly unharmed, from her current state as a block of ice... After a minute he increased the amount of Hell Fire Flames in the surrounding the Iced shell to about thirty percent, because otherwise, his green flames wouldn't be able to protect Ur, and would end up killing her otherwise, having had used his magic like this before on certain seals on people, or magic-induced sicknesses that were created with safeties that would otherwise block other healing magic.

After a few more minutes he began to decrease the amount _Hell Fire Flames_ until all that was left were his green flames, and after thirty seconds he dissipated all fires, including the ones holding back Gray and Ultear, who dashed forwards before the wall had even gone down, hoping to see Ur alive and breathing again, and were shocked to see that the Iced Shell had almost not changed at all, making Gray upset, immediately assuming that Natsu had failed.

"I trusted you!" Gray shouted as tears welled up in his eyes, as he dashed forward, slamming his right fist into his left palm, causing dozens of lances made completely of ice to shoot towards Natsu, who simply turned around, and expectant look on his face as he looked at Gray, before setting off a small heatwave around him, completely melting the icicles when they were within a couple feet. Yukino, Sherry, and Lucy all looked at Natsu in shock, having had believed that he would have been able to successfully revive Ur, which would have made everyone quite happy, even if they had to fight Deliora.

Both Yuka and Erza, however, had a feeling that something was at play, knowing that Natsu wouldn't have taken such a risk without a reason. Ultear simply stood there, a lone tear rolling down her face from her left eyes, as she almost lost all hope, feeling that since this didn't work, her last option was the _Grand Magic World_ , meaning might have to do even more things that made it harder to sleep at night.

Gray continued to run forward, only to stop when Natsu used his _Fire-Make_ Magic to restrain Gray before he finally spoke.

"I'm not done," Natsu said with a smirk on his face that only grew when everyone released a collective sigh in relief, before they looked at him, curious to see what they would have to do next, almost wanting to slap themselves in the face at how easy they thought it would be to revive someone from a block of ice. Natsu looked at both Ultear and Gray, examining how they were holding up, as he could only imagine just how strenuous every second he took was.

"Which one of you, can control ice the best," Natsu said as he looked at Ultear and Gray making them look at him curiously before Ultear's eyes shot open in shock, catching on to what he just did.

"No..." Ultear said with a sigh as she ran forward, passing by the newly released Gray as she approached the ice before running past even Natsu, touching the ice with her palm as she made a spike of ice grow out of the Iced Shell, making Gray's eyes shot open as well, being the last to catch on to what just happened. That is what appeared to happen for anyone who didn't have a good understanding of Ice magic, as she actually molded the Ice of the Iced shell to form into an ice, but the most shocking thing was she could actually feel Ur's distinct magic presence in the Ice, which completely astounded her. "How did he- What were those flames?!' Ultear thought in shock as he looked at him, having had never believed that Natsu would ever have a chance to breach the four, her and many other believing that this was the peak of his power.

"I can do it," Gray said determinedly as Ultear looked at him, not wanting to agree, but since Gray had seen Ur right before she died, he would definitely be the right person to properly reform her body out of the ice while everyone else just watched, confused as they weren't catching on to what Natsu did. Yuka, surprisingly, was the next one to catch on, making a grin form on his face as he realized why Natsu did what he did because otherwise, it would be quite hard to save Ur without actually using a resurrection spell, but by doing this it was almost just simply healing her, which made Yuka appreciate just how adept Natsu was at his magic.

The girls simply sighed as they watched Gray prepare to complete this task as Ultear stepped back, feeling an uncomfortable feeling bloom in her chest, worried that Gray would mess this up, feeling helpless as she no longer had her mother's life in her own hands, finding it hard to trust a man who is renown for being unable to keep his clothes on in reforming his own body. Erza was the next to understand what was going on, beginning to walk forward before requipping into her _Adamantine Armor,_ prepared to set up a barrier in case the removal of the Iced Shell completely revived Deliora, as that would almost completely ensure at least Ur's death, as Natsu would not be able to finish the process.

Gray placed his hands on the _Iced Shell_ before he began to summon his magic, surrounding his body in an aura of blue, preparing to do exactly what Erza and Aquarius did, but this time condensing and molding it into Ur's body, hoping beyond belief that he didn't mess anything up.

The ice began to almost peel off the Iced Shell before it flew towards the entrance of the room, being placed on the ground before being accompanied by another, and another until they began to come off faster and faster, making it appear as if a breeze of ice was flying towards the ice on the ground. The Ice began to form almost a mannequin of Ice, as it began to mold together, forming a woman's body. After a few more minutes the body was partially complete as the Iced Shell was missing a large chunk, almost completely releasing Deliora's hand as ice continued to shave off and join the mannequin on the ground.

Sherry, Yukino, and Lucy watched in shock as Gray began to form a body, that seemed to be of average height, but with bigger than average feminine attributes, with wide, womanly childbearing hips and a slim waist, which was only accentuated what appeared to be a set of large breasts forming on the chest area. Yuka watched with squinted eyes as Deliora was continuing to be released, his head almost completely uncovered making him walk forward to join Erza, prepared to fight and make sure that nobody else here died, even if he had only known them for a few hours, having had found them both honorable and kind, two traits he found very important. Sherry quickly realized what Yuka did, before beginning to join them while Yukino pulled her keys out, hoping she wouldn't have to participate in such a fight, but knowing she would be able to help protect the newly revived Ur from any rubble that may be falling.

By now Delioras head, and full left shoulder down to the bottom of his approximate rib cage, including his whole left arm was now released, as ice shards continued to fly towards the ice body on the ground, Erza walking forward before stopping beside Gray, prepared to help protect him from any punches Deliora may release, even thought he has made next to no visible movements at all. Natsu on the other hand, was able to analyze Deliora's state far better than the rest, his dragon-slaying senses picking up on slight movements as he sighed, having had hoped he would be revived so quick, finding Deliora in an almost restful state, meaning he could wake up any minute now.

After a few more minutes Deliora began to make more noticeable movements, his fingers twitching and chest moving as his whole torso was now uncovered, including the top of his thighs as Gray began to sweat, completely feeling the drain of not only controlling, but condensing so much magically induced ice into a small body, but he stayed strong, wanting this chance to make things right, for Ultear and Lyon, as he was still the one responsible for her death. The current mages watched with bated breath as they watched Deliora slowly begin to make more and more movement, but still not being completely conscious yet, which was good as only his knees down were still stuck in ice, meaning he would be able to wreak such havoc, even possibly shattering the rest of the ice, as the magical properties of the _Iced Shell_ itself were no longer remaining.

Both Yukino and Lucy watched as in just a few more minutes Deliora was completely released, falling to his feet, but still staying upright, seeming to quickly gain consciousness as Ultear ran forward, dragging an exhausted Gray back towards Ur's new body, before beginning to inspect her mother, finding every hair, every pore on her skin present, even the slight hairs on her arms were all present, making Ultear smile as more tears began to run down her face while Erza slammed her shields together, prepared to set up a barrier the minute Deliora awoke from his decade-long slumber while both Sherry and Yuka went through any possible spell they could use to quickly, and efficiently subdue the Immortal Demon.

Natsu walked back towards Ur's icy body, trusting that Ultear, Lucy, and Yukino would be able to protect him and Gray while he finished reviving Ur as Erza, Yuka and Sherry distracted Deliora until the rest of them could join the fight.

He knelt down beside Ur, making Ultear look up, her right hand still resting on Ur's left cheek as tear's continued to roll down her face as she looked him, so grateful that she had sent the request out when she did, otherwise she would have never had a chance to save her mother, leaving her to be drifting around the world restlessly, forever.

"I know, this is really hard, but I'll need some space." Natsu said softly as he looked Ultear in the eyes, showing just how serious he was as she simply nodded, feeling her mouth and throat clam up due to just how close they were, finding herself unable to answer verbally as she helped Gray up before setting him near the entrance to the cavern before walking back to Lucy and Yukino, prepared to help protect Natsu for as long as he needed until her mother was alive once more. Natsu sighed, mentally preparing himself for the last, and final step of Ur's revival, making sure he didn't mess up, because otherwise... Ur might not be the only one to never take a step on this world ever again. He took one last deep breath, calming himself completely as he drew upon his green flames once more, surrounding his body in a green aura as he placed his right hand on Ur's head, and his left hand on Ur's chest, partially between the approximate location of her magical container, and her heart.

 _"Fire Dragon Prince's Forbidden Art; Valhalla's Sacred Benevolance"_ Natsu chanted soflty as he closed his eyes, the aura around his body continuing to glow and glow until it almost began to be too bright to even look at Natsu, before it disappeard within an instant, shooting faster than fireworks into the sky, through the hole which they used to conduct the _Moon Drip Ceremony_. Ultear's eyes shot open in shock, having had heard part of his spell and found herself shocked, having had never guessed that the Throne of Fire had specific spells only used by the the king and heir. 'What are the costs, of using such a forbidden art?' Ultear thought curiously, feeling even more worry bubbling up in her chest, not wanting Natsu to die simply because he was trying to help her.

What nobody noticed, was that Deliora's large, pale blue eyelids began to flutter, before completely opening.

* * *

And onto the Reviews

NatsuHaremLover/25- Opichius might not necessarily get a power-up per say, but, I could always give her different abilities or spells stemming off of what she can already do. Again, she might have other abilities, but it won't be that much power scaling, simply because Natsu is already too strong on his own, and I don't intend to change what Natsu Vi Korusaki already did in the first place. She may have certain knowledge of medical things, let's say certain effects of poisons, making her like a poison expert, including antidotes, but I doubt it will stem any further that, let me know what you think. Natsu might end up helping Lucy after all of this, but since he already essentially promised to take Yukino on as an apprentice, that will already pull at his very strained time limits. You arguments are very accurate, but I'm not quite sure how I can fit your idea into the current timeline, I realize I can simply write different PoV's right now, because I've already thought of the perfect times for certain things like that, but without delaying something like Tenrou I'm not sure if I can write at the end of that arc, unless something like Tenrou didn't happen at all.

Guest/25- Well, Lyon's reaction should definitely be the biggest, as he seems to be passed out during Ur's revival, so he going to wake up pissed, only to see Ur back again. That would be really weird. I'm not too sure if I can give Natsu Fire Devil Slayer magic because unfortunately, he's already overpowered, being around the age of 18/19 and the 6th wizard saint is pretty crazy. And to give him another powerhouse magic would be very dangerous, as something like this would be really hard to account to actually give them a challenge, otherwise, it's like playing a video game with the invincibility cheat.

Etherious X and Zapster 45. I totally one hundred percent agree that this arc is taking an insane amount of time to write. But, I have enjoyed writing all of these fun little scenarios and things in here. But, I mean, you've already waited this long, right? What's another week or two.

* * *

With Deliora, since they have magic, science isn't really a thing, right? It's not a mainstream thing that many people are aware of. My argument is that the Iced Shell is an almost perfect cryogenic chamber, being able to freeze someone, or something until its released, being able to completely freeze all functions, but not to the point it actually kills the target. But, Lucy wouldn't know about cryogenics, would she?


	27. A Sacrifice Made

And Onto the Story!

Lucy and Yukino watched in confusion, curious as to why nothing was happening, even though Natsu was clearly focusing on the spell, meaning that something was supposed to happen. Meanwhile, Ultear had sneakily pulled out a lacrima to record not only the fight but her mother's resurrection as well.

Natsu continued to kneel by Ur's icy side, his eyes closed as he concentrated,.beckoning his flames to do his well, trying not to lose focus as the back draw of a forbidden art, failing is immeasurable.

Yuka continued to monitor Deliora's arms and legs, watching for any twitching muscles or fingers, as he calmly drew upon his magic, standing to Erza's right side, hoping to help enforce her barrier, as it would draw less of her magic because of it, as long as wave worked in demons... Sherry was currently looking around the room, trying to see if there were any easy rubble or debris in the side for her to use her magic before she looked at Deliora himself. 'Would it be possible... Could I... for even a second?' Sherry considered as she looked at the demon, curious as to why there was no movement yet.

Erza simply stood there in her _adamantine armor_ , her eyes squinted as she watched his arms, finding herself at a disadvantage as she was unsure how it attacked, how it moved. Was it bipedal? Or does the curve in its back suggest it moves on all fours like Vulcans or Apes?

"Gray," Erza called out as her head didn't move, continuing to observe the demon before her, knowing that Ur was stronger than her and that one false move could easily lead to her doom. "How does this demon attack, walk, move, tell us everything you know to best prepare us." Erza essentially demanded as Gray was lying on the ground, still where Ultear practically dropped him as she ran to her mother.

"Uh..." Gray called out, still Mentally, Magically and Physically drained as he attempted to barely get up into a sitting position prompting Lucy to run forward,kneeling down on her Leather clad armor knees as she put his left arm over his shoulder before attempting to stand up, realizing just how Erza or Cana, he'll any female mage kept their perfect physical shape as Gray attempted to use his ice magic to form a crutch. Ultear and Yukino held off on helping as they weren't sure even the Titania could keep an immortal demon contained until he withered away, defeated by their immense combined forces.

"He can shoot laser beams from his mouth, he can regenerate anything other than extreme mutilation or decapitation, and he is really strong, probably stronger than Gildarts," Gray called out as he soared the demon no glance as he watched the pinkette before him, having an idea of just how hard this was for him. Erza simply nodded, gritting her teeth as she wasn't quite sure what he meant by lasers, but figured she would find out quite soon.

Even Ultear was confused as to why nothing was happening now, worried that Natau had failed the forbidden spell, not only dooming himself but her mother as well. Lucy was finally able to get Gray up by now and slowly walked him towards the outer wall, practically bearing his whole weight which was quite a lot, surprisingly as she struggled to move him further out of harm's way, not to mention further away from Natsu's spell as well.

 **Defense PoV**

Somehow, neither Yuka or Erza had bothered to look at Deliora's face, his eyes slowly moving around, examining the surprisingly strong forces before him, noticing the Scarlet Haired woman, the Blue Haired Man, the Dark Purple Haired woman, but more importantly the pinkette kneeling on the ground a few dozen feet before him, finding something familiar in the extensive amount of magic power he held within him. This only went to prove that Deliora wasn't simply a rampaging demon, but a force to be reckoned with, not just attacking out blindly, but actually using his eyes, and every power at his monstrous disposal to examine what was before him, finding the purple haired woman so familiar, which was weird.

He slowly began to test out his arms, finally feeling that he had complete movement and feeling in his bones as he rolled his shoulders, making Yuka jump as he flared his magic, being the first to move, sending a small, but condensed wave of magic at Deliora, hoping to test to see if his years of training and honing his magic abilities has paid off. Sherry quickly ran towards Erza, whispering something in her left ear, making the Scarlet Haired woman's eyes shoot open, before whispering back making Sherry nod her head as she ran backward, beginning to channel her magic as she prepared to use her magic on something that should seem impossible.

The wave of ant magic flew towards the demons chest, making Deliora look upon them as if they were ants as he let the wave magic impact his chest, making Yuka wait for even a groan or roar of pain only to find himself shocked when the demon was completely unharmed, making him grit his teeth as Erza slammed her shields together, making a large magic barrier form in front of her as Yuka slammed Hai right foot into the ground, causing a secondary magic barrier to form, further protecting the girls, Gray and Natsu from the demon, they could ensure Ur's revival.

Deliora began to move its arms, testing their functionality, completely ignoring Erza, Yuka, and Sherry as they continued to hold up the barrier. Yuka felt almost insignificant, like a true ant all too easy to be crushed under his clawed foot, his magic almost having no effect whatsoever on the demon as he continued to inspect himself, now moving in and checking his legs, almost as if he was stretching, his eyes almost solely focused on Natsu, and the spell going on before him, never in the centuries he has been alive has he seen a spell anything like that, the glow descending upon the pinkette and a more than familiar block of ice.

Sherry continued to focus and draw upon her magic, essentially meditating as she prepared to attempt her idea, as crazy as it is. Erza stood there, just barely pouring her magic into the barrier while Deliora ignored them, trying her hardest to ignore the sounds of the roof crumbling behind them as she continued to stare at Deliora's muscles, looking for any sign or signal of him about to attack or move.

His arm shot forward suddenly, causing Erza to increase the amount of energy output to the magic barrier, not reaching her maximum power as she wanted to test his brawn against her magic barrier, not wanting to waste magic unnecessarily as their duty was to hold back the demon for as long as possible, at least until Natsu would be able to join the fight. Erza watched in shock as Deliora extended one large, clawed finger poking the barrier alone, making Erza plant her feet as she realized the strength he could put out even with one finger alone, feeling less and less confident in their ability to hold him back as the barrier began to bend, as if he was poking rubber, his claw damaging the barrier as he almost pushed his finger straight through the barrier, as Erza put no more magic into it.

She was shocked to feel Deliora so close to puncturing her barrier, but she then realized the only reason he hadn't broken through was due to the fact Yuka set up a secondary barrier to support hers, meaning that Yuka should at least be able to help with defense.

Deliora pulled his arm back, before looking at the mages in what appeared to be curiosity, even though his facial expression never changed, as he simply looked down at him, before turning to look at the mages in the back, his eyes drawn in by an ethereal glowing woman who was standing with the other mages, having had never felt a signature like that in his life.

He turned back down to the mages in front of him, almost as if he was thinking, before he suddenly raised his left hand, before it shot forward, his clawed fist curled as he slammed it into the barrier, catching Erza completely unprepared as she had no time to set up a stronger barrier. Instead of planning to block his hit at all she completely dispelled her shield, before jumping back, instantly Requipping into her _Blackwing armor_ , knowing now that trying to keep him locked up was futile, as it would simply drain their containers too fast. The _Blackwing armor_ is black with silver trimming that has silver crosses on the shoulder pads and thigh guards. It has a revealing silver-edged breastplate and metal guards flaking her hips that reach down to her waist. The waist guard leaves the front of Erza's body exposed, with her groin being covered by a dark pair of panties that cannot be cut. She has large plates guarding her thighs and two wings with black metal arms that support the wings, which have a beige membrane-like material in between the individual 'bones".

Yuka, instead of dispelling his barrier strengthened it, hoping that the anti-magic particles in it would be able to stop the demon, just like it would any other mage, as the pain from putting their arm in a wave barrier is immense. Yuka watched in shock as Deliora completely tore through the barrier, with surprising ease as his fist continued on towards Yuka. He watched as the first descended into him, only to feel Erza tackle him away, her speed increased by her _Blackwing armor_ , but not as much as her _Flight armor_ , as she mentally berated herself for ruining it earlier in the fight against Yuka.

She stood him on his feet a few meters to the left of Deliora, before she lunged forward, hoping to take advantage of the demons large body, as fast as this armor was capable speeds she could attain. She jumped forward, almost becoming a blur as she attempted to stab her sword into his thigh crossing a dozen feet in almost a second. Yuka decided to help out, sending a wave of magic towards Deliora's other thigh, hoping to distract Deliora, who attempted to move his arm and swat Erza away like the fly she was to him, only to watch in annoyance as she flew upwards, moving faster this time as she jumped off his thigh, and shooting up in the air before her whole body was enveloped in a flash of light. When it dispersed she was in a big, bulky yellow armor holding the purgatory club in both hands as she shot down, the added weight and strength maximizing the damage as she descended down at a rapid pace towards his left shoulder, hoping to deal damage, and hopefully disable that arm.

Yuka watched in annoyance as his wave magic didn't even slow down Deliora the slightest as he redirected his right arm to his shoulder in an attempt to swat Erza away, only for Yuka to grit his teeth as he shot out wave magic from his feet, giving him some air as he shot a stronger wave of magic towards Deliora's right arm, pushing it against the immortal demon's chest, and allowing Erza to slam her purgatory club right where the socket should have been, having had decided to avoid his head as to avoid those laser beams Gray mentioned.

Deliora roared in pain as he moved his right hand to slam her into the cavern wall, only to watch in annoyance as she requipped back into her _Blackwing Armor_ before flying behind him, making him turn simply because he was annoyed at her pestering, like someone chasing a fly around as it flew around their head, buzzing in their ears.

Erza quickly scanned Deliora's body, looking for any weak spots as his fist shot towards her, having had noticed just how little damage her attack did, as all it did was simply annoy it as it turned around, swinging it's right fist down upon Erza while Yuka walked forward, examining his back for any weaknesses as they both came to the same conclusion. Right before Deliora's hand was about to crush he body, she lunged forward as she flew towards his elbow, intending to stab the inside of the joint, only to be swept into the wall as Deliora used his whole arm like a baseball bat, disorienting her to the point she was left dazed. Yuka ran forward, casting his wave magic into a wall a meter in front of Erza noticing that he was following through with his weep, aiming to crush Erza to death, leaving someone else to take the throne of Titania.

Fortunately for everyone, Erza came to her senses before the fist impacted on the wave wall, which only held for a second, giving Erza enough time to call upon her magic and fly out of the way, leaving Yuka to watch unaware of whether Erza died or not, Deliora's fist creating a whole new tunnel in the wall, shaking the foundation of the temple itself, but somehow never breaking it as he tore his arm out of the wall with a roar as he turned around, facing Yuka, knowing that he is the reason the pesky fly was not crushed.

"You okay?" Yuka asked breathily as they both jumped out of the way of Deliora's fist, annoyed that his magic was essentially useless against the demon before him, making him curious as to what this demon had, if it didn't use magic, or seemed to use magic.

"Well enough, let's keep his attention, cover me!" Erza replied as she glared at the demon, realizing just how hard this fight would be, for such a size to be able to catch her when she poured all her magic into the Blackwing armor was quite annoying, as she probably could have done better if she hadn't have disabled her _Flight Armor._ Yuka nodded his head as he simply waited, growing a magic circle in front of him as he prepared to attack the demons leaving him open for an attack from Erza.

Just as Erza was about to lunge forward, she saw a flash of blue light illuminate the room around her, and instead of taking a look back, she monopolized on Deliora's slight distraction, rushing forward holding her sword down with the point towards the ground as she dashed towards the immortal demon as she jumped forwards, pushing magic into her Blackwing Amor so that she became a blur as she rushed forward, reappearing at Deliora's side, stabbing into Deliora's midsection in an attempt to toadstool off of it as she lunged towards his neck,

Sherry cracked her left eye open, orienting the rubble floating around her so that she would be able to see how Yuka and Erza were fairing, due to all the crashing and roaring she hears. She wasn't surprised to see Deliora no worse as Erza and Yuka jumped around him, dealing next to no damage, but keeping him occupied for the time being. She turned her head to see the others, shocked to see a snowstorm swirling around them with a woman made of light walking towards Natsu, drawing an ax off her back. 'what's going on?' Sherry thought as she watched the woman of light, unsure as to how she even got there, while knowing that Gray didn't have nearly enough magic left right now to create the snowstorm, which made a smile bloom on Sherry's face, until she saw the woman of light take another step forward towards Natsu, holding the axe in hand as if she wanted to execute Natsu.

 **Revival PoV**

Ultear and Yukino looked up, hearing rumbling above them as they saw a green glow, preparing their magic to protect Ur and Natsu from any debris, Yukino rested her dainty fingers on Libras Key, curling them around it while Ultear prepared her arc of time magic, preparing turn any debris into dust. The ceiling began to break, green light seeping through the cracks as rubble began falling down in chunks leaving a blinding off yellow and green glow radiating from the hole as Yukino watched in shock as all the rocks crumbled to nothing mid-air, courtesy of Ultear's Arc of Time.

The greenish yellow glowing began to descend through the hole in the roof, appearing to become more of a ball of light rather than a flash as it slowly began to descend toward Natsu and Ur, making Ultear hope beyond belief that this was part of the plan, and not something, or someone else.

The glowing ball of off yellow and green began to slow as it came within 5 feet of Natsu and the ice before him, making Natsu look up, looking up at the glow, his expression a mixture of strain and calm as the glow began to lose some of its radiance as it became more defined.

All present were shocked when the glow died down, almost completely losing the green light that was mixed in, leaving an almost ethereal spectral body before them, made completely out of this off-yellow glow, holding its hands together, as if it wee try to hide something.

The ethereal being was wearing an old set of armor, almost of a Nordic origin with spiked shoulder pads and a spiky belt. The more time went on, they began to notice that this ethereal light was a female entity, wearing a leather, furred skirt and leather braces on her arms. She had a large Battle Axe strapped to her back, with a diameter of eighteen inches on the blade. She seemed to be slightly shorter than the average female, but Ultear hypothesized that it was simply because she seemed to be a magic construct of some kind, and not an actual person, on this plane anyway.

The woman had long flaxen hair, but that may have been simply because the light she was encompassed by was off yellow. Even Gray was shocked by the pure implications of Natsu's spell, having had paid attention to his wording, which somehow left him more confused. 'since Natsu is actually the dragon prince... Does that mean he can summon other entities simply because of the royalty and power he has? But what's in her hands...' Gray thought, more confused than ever because of the circumstances around it, knowing nothing about what was going on even though he was there the whole time.

Yukino was confused, not understanding how that could be part of a dragon-slaying repertoire, unaware that Natsu's nickname wasn't simply because of his proficiency for his dragon slaying magic, but because he was actually part of the Fire Dragon Royalty. Lucy stared, confused as to why this, woman, seemed to have not noticed anything around it other than Natsu, and Ur, not the immortal demon before it, nor the mages surrounding her. But, everyone recognized this entities beautiful, angelic, almost elvish features with large white feathered wings sprouting from its back as they continued to flap, hovering in the air as she continued to stare Natsu in the eyes, almost as if they were having a telepathic conversation.

She suddenly looked down, making Natsu look at her hands, confusing them as nobody knew what she had in them, staring at Ur, until looking around, noticing both Gray's and Ultear's fear and stress, clear as the day upon their angular and sharp features as the stared at her. She then looked around her, seeing the three mages bravely prepared to hold off a demon, and then the demon itself, almost as if it connecting the dots.

She looked down at her hands as she floated into the ground, her furred boots making no sound or imprint as she stood beside Ur before crouching down. Both Gray and Ultear almost had to hold themselves back, equally afraid and mystified as this woman parted her hands, revealing a small, swirling blue ball of ice and snow, making Ultear watch in shock as she then lowered the ball towards Ur's chest, right over where her heart would be.

Everyone watched, entranced as the swirling blue ball continued to lower, almost approaching Ur's chest too slowly, like she was trying to taunt them, tease them... Test them.

"Please," Ultear practically begged as she fell to her knees, confusing both Yukino and Lucy, unsure as to why she was begging, having a much lower understanding of magic combined, in comparison to Ultear Milkovich of the Magic Council.

The ethereal Being looked up, watching as Ultear begged, unreleased tears slowly falling down her face as she looked at the woman of light. The woman looked at Ultear for a while, making the connection that both women had similar figures, features, and even magic.

The woman pressed the ball of swirling blue ball into Ur's chest, making a flash of blue envelop the room, attracting even Deliora's attention as a large made itself known for the first time in what seemed like centuries, making a small accepting smile shoot across Natsu's face, even as he knew all possible repercussions of using the spell, as he looked towards the axe on the woman's back.

A snowstorm seemed to pick up, making Yukino and Lucy shiver while everyone else was used to such cold, both Ultear and Gray because of being ice mages while Natsu was a fire mage. It began to pick up more strength and force as Ur seemed to rise up into the air, the ethereal woman completely unaffected by both the force and the cold of the storm as it continued to stand beside Ur, while tears began to roll down even Gray's face as he felt his master's magic awaken once more, before looking to Natsu, feeling his heart catch in his throat as he looked at someone he used to hate, taunt and belittle, selflessly resurrecting Ur, his master for no charge, for nothing in return, but simply because he felt it was right.

Gray looked Natsu in the eye, only to be completely confused as he saw the same smile on the pinkettes face before he looked at the woman, confused as to why she was reaching for the axe on her back, before it all snapped into place in an instant, finally realizing the cost of such a forbidden spell, finally understanding that even though Ur wasn't really dead, she was never meant to take breath once more, and Natsu just broke that balance, that unsaid truth of the world.

Natau moved onto his knees, a show of submission as he lowered his head, prepared for what he knew the cost of using such a forbidden spell was as the woman took the axe off its back, swirling it around flawlessly and effortlessly as it approached Natsu, who kept his head down, prepared for his punishment.

Lucy, Yukin, and Ultear watched in horror as Natsu simply sat there, allowing her to approach himself as she raised her ax in the air. Lucy grabbed her whip, while Yukino grabbed Pisces key, prepared to defend Natsu, their friend who helped them even if they didn't necessarily deserve it, sacrificing himself so that Ultear would get her mother back, and Gray his master.

Ultear had even more tears running down her face as she released her Arc of Time magic, attempting to dispelling the axe only for a wave of fire to cancel it as Natau barely looked up, his eyes meeting hers, her heart almost breaking as someone who has been the kindest to her, for no reason at all even if she lied to them, prepared to die, doing something for her, for her mother. She could see the mixture of pain, and acceptance in his eyes, the smile on his face almost genuine as he died doing what he knew was right, even if the cost seemed too great.

The woman made of light was now right beside Natsu as she swung her axe up, prepared it down while the three other mages on the other side of the room watched Deliora, unaware that Natsu Dragneel, the prince of Fire was about to be struck down, smited for his obstruction in the circle of life. Erza wasn't aware of one of the first people who helped her laugh was about to die right behind her, unable to do anything as the snowstorm rushed around behind them, hiding the prince's fate from their eyes.

Lucy and Yukino were too shocked to feel the bitter winds as they watched the woman swing her large axe down, about to execute Natsu in front of them as he sat there, all of them too focused to notice the shaking of the room, or the crashing of rocks, and too afraid for their friend to notice that Ur's skin was regaining its colour from head to toe, its healthy white complexion returning as the snowstorm swirled around her, almost as if she was saying hello after all these years, a mere portion of her magic causing the snowstorm around them.

Gray watched, unable to do anything as the ethereal blade of the axe was about to make contact with Natsu's neck as he patiently waited for his death, only except Natsu to watch in shock as a large yellow and red bolt of lightning struck down, removing the ethereal being, the Valkyrie, from their presence as all that was left was the snowstorm swirling around them, it's bitter winds almost freezing the tears on Ultear's face as Natsu continued to wait, confused as to why he was not killed yet, having had been resigned to his fate, knowing that to properly finish their mission, they would have had to let Ur die, and as a Fairy Tail mage that was simply unacceptable.

Everyone stared, the only sounds being the biting storm around them, swirling as a healed Ur was slowly lowered to the floor, the storm slowly, but surely beginning to die down as Natau began to slowly look around, sitting up as he felt his hands, pinching his arms as he looked around, only to be shocked when he was tackled by Ultear, her slapping him in the face with a large slap, the pain increased by the bitter winds around them as she practically tackled him, his feet still resting on the ground, as he looked up at Ultear, confused as to why he was still alive.

He was even more shocked when he felt Ultear crash her lips into his, kissing him as he began to feel what seemed to be raindrops on his face as she held his collar, almost ravaging his mouth until she suddenly stopped, pulling away as she began to slap him in the face again as she sat up, tears continuing to roll down her face as Natsu stared at her, his mind completely stopped, confused as he could still taste her on his lips, while Gray watched, slowly pulling his jaw up as he began to smirk, realizing how much trouble he just got himself in, until he realized that he should probably stick up for Natau this time, so he could slowly begin to try and repay his eternal debt to him for reviving Ur.

'Ur!' Gray thought as his eyes shot to where she once lay, surprised to see her flesh and body present once more. He felt tears roll down his face as he rushed forward, ignoring the gawking girls beside him as he stopped at Ur's side, feeling the shake of the cavern through his feet, but he completely ignored it in favor of his once dead master.

Albeit his master was nude, she was alive, even with her leg back making Gray confused, until he realized that Natsu essentially recreated her limb, plus, he forgot to leave it out when he was rebuilding her. He moved his hand to her neck, almost breaking out in tears when he felt her steady, and strong pulse. He moved his hand over her mouth, feeling a tear run down his face when he felt her breath on his palm, but he did remember that, if they missed some of her, or messed it up... She may never be the same again. And while that hurt so dearly, he was glad that she at least had a chance to live once more. To roam the world again.

He went to take his shirt off, and when he was about to put it on her, he realized that his shirt was torn so much, it would have hidden nothing. 'Crap, now I'm going to have to ask Natsu for help, again...' Gray thought with a sigh, hoping Natsu at least had something that could preserve his master's dignity and preventing other people like Yuka from seeing her womanhood, and womanly parts, that he completely ignored, the fact he saw her like a mother, or even an older sister making him almost immune to how attractive she truly was.

He turned to Natsu, hoping that he had finally calmed Ultear only to see her repeatedly hitting him in the chest, hard, as tears continued running down her face, making him more confused than ever, having had thought that Ultear and Natsu barely knew each other. 'Why does she look upset, Natau knew he wasn't going to die... Right?' Gray thought as he got up, prepared to help Natsu, feeling he at least owed him that much, as his chest continued to get hammered into the floor, the ground cracking as his body began to create a crater.

"You could have died! Why would you do that?!" Ultear sobbed as she stopped hitting him, falling into his chest in exhaustion as he hesitantly began to hold her, completely confused as to why she reacted this badly, as he was prepared to die, knowing that his death, his sacrifice could bring someone back, having had enjoyed his time on this planet, hoping that Mjra, and Cana, Lacy's and Gildarts, his small group of friends would be able to forgive him.

"I'm... Sorry?" Natsu said, just as confused as Lucy and Yukino, who was utterly confused as to why Ultear was so upset and torn up since she shouldn't have known Natsu that well, which was probably since they weren't aware of such implications. They completely forgot about Deliora standing a dozen feet away, banging on the barrier that Yuka and Erza set up, wanting to get out and destroy the others while they were on the ground since all of them together could potentially mean his death, for good.

Ultear simply laid on Natsu, her sobs coming in larger intervals as she began to calm down, having had never seen someone so selfless, having had known of Fairy Tails inner workings and standing not only due to her part in the counci but from her other places of work as well. 'Why... Why was he so prepared to die for Ur, for me... And asked for nothing in return! Simply choosing to revive her, just because it was right?' Ultear was utterly confused, assaulted by a bombardment of emotions that all began to mix with the slightest crush she had for him, from talking to him in the council or seeing him at the meetings.

Natau gently grabbed her shoulda, lifting her up so he could look her in the eyes, everyone but Gray was unaware of Ur's lack of clothing, having been distracted by Ultear's overloaded emotions as she laid on Natsu, all for different reasons.

Lucy stared, confused as to why Ultear reacted the way she did, having had thought the spectral woman simply made a statement, that the matters and death shouldn't be tampered with, and since Ur wasn't technical dead, he was in the clear... Right? She also felt conflicted, a mixture of anger and jealousy for some reason, having had enjoyed talking to him, and how he forgave her, choosing to bring her along, teaching her things she had never thought were possible in such a short amount of time. She tried to rationalize that she was mad at Natsu, for cheating on Mira even though it was obvious he had no intention of that happening.

Yukino was simply embarrassed and confused, having had been looking up to Natsu, the wizard saint who cared so much for others that sometimes he lost control. She felt afraid as the woman swung the ax, worried that the one person that actually cared for her enough to help for no other reason than doing the right thing, was about to die before her eyes, simply because he was doing the right thing, again, at the cost of his life. She felt so grateful when the woman was struck down, feeling relief explode in her whole body, from the tips of her toes to her chest as she stared at Natsu, only to be confused when he simply laid there, letting Ultear kiss, and beat him, unaware that he too, was shocked that he survived this encounter.

"Hey, are you okay?" Natau asked silently, ignoring the fact that he could still taste her on his lips, or the fact that his heart was beating out of his chest as he looked up at this goddess of a woman who was crying on his chest, even as her tears began to fade and slow looked at him, trying to blink away the tears as she looked down at him, feeling almost scared that she had tackled him, beat him, and kissed him all within a matter of a minute, worried that he would be mad at her, dislike her for doing such a thing.

She didn't reply, making Natsu sigh as his ears twitched, hearing what was going on behind him, but realized that everyone needed to be on top of their game if they truly wished to fight Deliora with him. He pulled her back down, setting her in his chest as he release her shoulders, wrapping his arms around her as he began to set up, lifting not only himself but her as well purely with his abdominal muscles as he raised himself into a seating position, making Ultear wrap her legs around d his waist as well, grateful beyond belief that he had reached her mother, giving her a chance for questions, for answers, so that she would not need to achieve the Grand Magic world. However that left her worried for Meredy, having had watched in pained silence as she began to hate others, planning to kill them simply because they had an unwilling, or unknowing part in her pain.

But in Natsu's arms she felt comfort, protection as he held her in his warmth, in his strong arms, the same arms that saved her mother, and even though they aided in the process it all would have been nothing if he hadn't had lead them through the process, hiding the fact that he had planned to risk his life, for her, for Gray. And that was what tore her on the inside. 'Did he know that... Of course, he knew! Why was he prepared to die for Ur? Intel said that Fairy Tail wasn't fond of him, especially Gray, so why...' Ultear thought utterly confused as she sniffed, unaware of a simple thing like kindness, having had never experienced such a thing since her mother died.

Natau looked over Ultear's shoulder as she simply sniffed, composing herself, and preparing herself for the upcoming fight. Natau locked eyes with gray, mouthing words to him, curious as to how Ur was. 'How is she's he mouthed as Gray skilled, a lone tear track on his cheek as he looked at Natsu, forever in his debt. 'She's okay, needs some clothes though...' He mouthed back, making Lucy stare at them, confused as to how they went from hating each other to being best friends in the span of a day until she realized that this is how Fairy Tail mages were.

Natau was confused, having had not picked up on the end of Gray's statement, as he stared at the man confused, making Gray roll his eyes before he gestured clothes, lifting up his torn shirt making Natsu's eyes shoot open in understanding before gently grabbing Ultear's shoulders.

"We can talk later, okay? But first, your mother needs some clothes," Natsu whispered into her ear making her eyes shoot open, finally having a grasp on her emotions as she turned around, noticing a shirtless Gray mere inches away from her naked mother.

Her head shot back towards Natsu, hoping that he had clothing for her mother, her face adorable with her slightly pouting Lipa, and wide, childlike eyes as she pleaded him. He laughed as he enveloped his left hand in a flash of white as he handed Ultear the bundle of clothes, making g her grab them before shooting towards Gray, kicking him away, into the wall as Yukino and Lucy walked forward, offering to help Ultear dress Ur, trying to ignore the dread building up in her chest as she remembered every life she took, every career or lively hood she had ruined on her quest to be reunited with her mother, trying to ignore the voice in her head saying that she was unworthy to even touch her mother.

Natsu laughed as he stood up before walking over to Gray, extending his hand as he simultaneously made walls of dark, opaque fire shoot up around the women, allowing them to dress Ur in peace and without prying eyes, her mother being very attractive, and possibly distracting them in a fight, unaware that Deliora was almost targeting them, making Erza and Yuka struggle to hold back the immortal demon.

Gray grabbed Natsu's hand with a smirk as he was pulled up, almost unable to keep a smile off his face as he remembered that Ur was finally alive and breathing after all this time. They began walking toward the two holding off Deliora, confused to see Sherry meditating off to the side, surround by a slowly swirling dome of rubble while Yuka and Erza were both exhausted, obviously struggling to hold their ground. Gray began to run forward,

Gray began to run forward, gathering his ice magic in his hands as he began to feel anger well up in his chest, remembering his failure in the past, but acknowledging the fact his power had increased a tenfold from that dreaded day In his past. Natau slowly began to walk forward, shaping his hands into finger guns as he pointed them at both Erza and Yuka, before shooting small green fireballs out of both index finger, making them rocket towards the two mages at breakneck speed, before they made contact, enveloping both mages in an aura of green as they felt reenergized, feeling hope bloom in their cheat, knowing that the big guns have finally arrived.

 **Assault PoV**

Gray ran up to Erza and Yuka, who took a few steps back themselves knowing that the fight was just beginning as now they weren't on defense but had moved to assist, knowing that Ur was safe, they were finally able to fit back rather than try and force the demon back. Yuka looked back, surprised to see him as healthy and able as he was, noticing that his complexion seemed paler than his usual tanned skin color. But he felt his confidence instantly rise, knowing that this man's proficiency for fire magic was unmatched by any man who walked the earth.

Erza was in thought, curious as to how much magic these green flames could regenerate, realizing that if she was in her _Fire Empress Armor,_ they could potentially never run out of magics but she shoved the information to the side as the demon grew tired of their lack of movement, throwing his colossal fist forward, planning to flatten the mages before him, making Yuka and Erza jump back in different directions, calling upon their respective magics as Gray simply stood there, waiting for the moment to strike.

Deliora put too much force in his punch, unable to call it back from impacting the ground, causing a crater to form as the ground shook. He attempted to pull his hand out, only too feel a cold, icy feeling on his hand once more, noticing that there was a dome of ice quickly forming around his hand, holding it down leaving him open for an attack, which Yuka was ready for.

" _Wave!_ " he called out as he held his hands in front of him causing a bluish white magic circle to form in front of him, which shot out a relatively large wave of anti-magic towards Deliora's arm, only to feel the same uselessness from earlier as his magic was useless upon impact, doing literally no damage but pushing his arm backwards, meaning he should move back into defense allowing one of the others to step forward, knowing that trying to engage in hand to hand combat would be his end.

Gray gritted his teeth as Deliora began to crack through the dome holding his hand into the cavern floor, hoping it would hold long enough so that Erza could finish her requip, as she shot out of the flash of light, wearing her _Heavens Wheel_ armor, surrounded by a multitude of swords.

"Dance my blades!" Erza called out as eleven swords shot towards Deliora's arm, their speed due to Erza's telekinetic abilities as they each aimed to impaled Deliora's arm, aiming for the veins that almost seemed to bulge out of his arm, only to watch in annoyance as they simply bounced off of his skin with a loud scratching sound, making Natsu raise his brow, realizing that this was one of Zeref's stronger demons, compared to Lullaby, but then he realized that his element had the advantage on the wooden overgrowth of evil.

"I don't suppose you were able to do any damage?" Natsu asked as he walked forward, almost too calm as his magic flared up around him, dark red and black flames swirling around his body as he approached the demon, catching its attention while Erza called upon her blades, bringing them back towards her while Gray took a step back, wanting to follow Natsu's lead since he was their main weapon. They were surprised to see Yuka backing up, as he should have been one of their main guns until he noticed the frown on his face, realizing that perhaps his wave magic had no effect on the demon.

"Unfortunately, no... I'll go back and help protect them from any stray attacks!" Yuka called out as he began to run back, going completely unnoticed by Ultear while Lucy and Yukino looked at him, worried that he was injured. He then sat near Ultear, poking her shoulder before whispering in her ear, only to watch in curiosity as she nodded before sitting in front of them with his legs crossed, until a large white wall of wave magic was erected before them, protecting them from any stray magical attacks.

"Yukino! You're up!" Natsu called out as he kept his eye on the demon, watching Erza and Gray tag team him, Erza doing direct attacks while Gray immobilized and froze Deliora's feet to the ground, making it look at them with a sense of pity, or amusement as it watched them try to injure it, allowing Erza to make contact on its knee as she had requipped into her purgatory armor, making it growl in pain as it could actually feel the attack through its thick skin. It swung its arm down, attempting to crush Erza into the ground once more, only to watch in annoyance as she Requipped into her _Blackwing Armor_ , skillfully flying out of his fists path as she flew towards his right shoulder once more, hoping that a multitude of attacks could disable it.

Yukino stared at Natsu shock, having had never thought she would be called forward to aid in the fight, before Ultear glared at her, prompting her to hesitantly walk forward in fear, reaching for her keys, until she decided to wait, hoping that Natsu would guide her in this fight. She slowly walked past the barrier Yuka erected as she watched Erza fly past Deliora's shoulder, watching as a cross-shaped slash impacted into his shoulder, making him bellow in pain, shaking the cavern around them as Natsu winced.

"Oh, Shut up you Cross Eyed Disco stick!" Natsu shouted as he lunged forward creating mini explosions under his feet as he flew upward at almost supersonic speeds making the mages around him stare at him in confusion, not understanding where Natsu made such a terrible insult. Even Deliora seemed to stare at Natsu in confusion as the Black and Red flames columned around his right arm as he pulled it back as he reached the apex of his lunge before he began to crash down, making Yukino watch in curiosity at seeing her knew sensei go all out.

" _HellFire Dragons Damning Claw!"_ Natsu cried out as his hand shaped into dark black, malicious claws at least a foot long as he swung towards Deliora, making him raise his large arm in an attempt to smash Natsu to the side, noticing his deadly path towards his head, only to watch in anger as he twirled around his arm, but it did force him to change his trajectory. Gray watched in amazement as Natsu's fist impacted into Deliora's right pectoral, making s flash of HellFire flames explode around the impact, as Deliora was almost forced onto a knee, the sheer strength of the attack almost sending a shockwave through the room as his foot created a crater on the ground from the amount of pressure he had to use to keep him steady, but Deliora was not on the ground. Natsu then jumped off of Deliora, using him like an overgrown springboard as he flew back, his fingers covered in fire as he grasped the rock face behind him.

A large black and maroon magic circle began to form in front of his mouth while Yukino watched in shock, having had seen just how little damage both Yukino and Erza were able to deal, compared to one hit of Natsu's. The magic circle continued to grow as Natsu inhaled deeply, filling his lungs as he prepared his next attack.

" _HellFire Dragons Roar!"_ Natsu shouted as a huge torrent of hellfire flames shot out of his mouth, making Deliora raise his hands, crossing them as he looked at Natsu in what could be perceived as anger as the torrent of flames crashed into his crossed arms, the force of the flames pushing his foot back, creating a trench in the ground as he was pushed against the wall, but otherwise doing no damage to him other than burn his arms. Natsu watched in annoyance as his keen eyes picked up on Deliora's regeneration in effect, as the burn on his pectoral began to heal, the speed of which slowed down by the lasting effect of the _HellFire Flames,_ but it was still active. He let go of the rock face, dropping down, his muscled form staying compact enough to pick up speed as he impacted the ground, causing another crater to form while dust kicked up, hiding his form from sight.

The other mages watched in shock, especially Gray as he had never seen Deliora take damage like that, while Erza watched with a mixture of acceptance and annoyance, understanding that the HellFire Flames gave him an edge over everyone else, but annoyed that all she was able to do was practically distract him, as important as that would be. Yukino stood in the back, fingering her keys as she watched them fight, not wanting to draw attention to herself until Lucy's voice reached her ears, cheering her on.

" _Ice Make; Bazooka_!" Gray shouted as his magic power formed around him, as it began to form into a handheld cannon in his arms, as he raised it to his shoulder, bracing it as a scope began to grow out of the top of the barrel, looking through it as he aimed for the exact same spot Natsu attacked, the burn marks still visible as he pulled the trigger. A large rocket made completely out of ice shot out of the barrel, aiming right on target as it barreled towards his pectoral before making impact, shattering the large ice round as Deliora roared in pain once more. He glared down at them as he lowered his gaw, a green glow forming in his mouth as he aimed at the petulant mages blow him angered by their petty attempts to attack him.

"Get Down!" Erza cried as she requipped into her _Adamantine Armor_ once more, prepared to take the blast head-on. Yukin began to take a few steps back, wanting to steer clear from the blast as she moved to the side. Sherry heard the relative calm and opened an eye, noticing Deliora was preparing to shoot a blast from his mouth. 'This is my chance!' Sherry thought as she closed her eyes, her magic beginning to channel around her as she focused.

"Doll Attack, Puppeteer!" Sherry cried as a magic circle began to rapidly form under deliora, surrounding him completely in less than ten seconds as she concentrated on her magic. Gray and Lucy watched in shock as Deliora's head began to tilt down, aiming at the ground below him. His head began to shake as he fought for control. The channeled blast began to draw too much energy as Deliora attempted to prevent it from unleashing upon himself. His head quickly shot up taking aim at Sherry herself as she ran out of magic, his anger at someone trying to control him too great as it shot out of his mouth, at least three metres in diameter as it barreled towards her, making Yuka attempt to run forward while Erza slammed her shield together, trying to create a large enough wall, fast enough so that it would not impact the pinkette.

Lucy watched in horror as the attack barreled through, cracking through the edge of Erza's barrier, it having not grown fast enough as it continued on towards the pinkette, Yuka being too far away to do anything until a wall of bluish tinged ice began to form in front of Sherry, while Ultear used her arc of time to tunnel a hole under Sherry, dropping her down out of the blasts reach as it impacted the wall of ice.

 _"Ice Make; Mirror!"_ Gray chanted as he closed his eyes, doing his best to strengthen the ice so that it would be able to reflect the beam, only to watch in horror as it barreled through, shattering the ice as it tunneled into the ground, forming a large tunnel as it continued to burrow through the ground, the amount of power put behind it unlike what Deliora had ever used before. Dust shot up as the sounds of rushing water could be heard, beginning to fill the new crevace while a tear ran down Yuka's face, nobody having had caught Ultear's quick thinking, as their vision was earlier disrupted by ice, but now by dust as Deliora threw its fist down, taking advantage of the mages respective pain and horror, as he attempted to take Erza out of the fight... For Good.

Natsu watched in anger, his keen eyes picking up on Ultear's quick thinking, but was quickly growing tired of how cramped they were, giving them no chance to properly defend themselves. He watched as Erza slammed her shields together, forming a shield in front of her as Deliora's fist impacted the barrier in front of her, making her grit her teeth as her feet began to push into the ground, Deliora's hand shaking as it tried to push through the barrier, making Erza grit her teeth as she felt her leg buckling.

" _Ice Make; Saucer!"_ Gray shouts in panic as a large bluish tinged magic circle forms in front of him, from which a huge disk at least six feet in diameter shot out, with teeth on the edge as it impacted into Deliora's arm _,_ causing Erza to slightly tilt her shields, now on one knee as Deliora's fist slid off of Erza shield and into the ground. Erza then requipped back into her _Blackwing Armor_ as she flew out, panting as she went, the drain of holding the shield so strong was immense. She floated in the air as she looked at the impact of Deliora's beam, trying to see if there was any sign of Sherry surviving such a thing. As the dust began to settle she noticed that Yuka had disappeared as well, most likely down the hole in the floor where Sherry sat, making Erza sigh, glad that Sherry had survived. Natsu watched as everything began to go downhill, having had lost a fighter while Erza had probably drained most of her magic, trying to save herself from the demon before them.

"Lucy! Ultear! Get Ur out of her, It's time to bring the roof down!" Natsu shouted as he revealed his position above them on a ledge, making Gray curious as to how he got there unnoticed until he realized he had probably used that _Flaming Steps_ spell. Both Lucy and Ultear grabbed Ur's shoulders, having had already clothed her in a simple long sleeve shirt and sweat pants and they began to lift her up, laying her arms across their respective shoulders as they began to walk her out, her feet dragging on the floor as they disappeared down the tunnel, Ultear directing Lucy as they left the tunnel. Yukino simply stood there, uncomfortable as she held her keys in her hands as she watched everyone do what they were supposed to do, feeling alone as she stood near the back of the cavern.

" _Ice Make; Grapple Hook!"_ Gray shouted as a magic circle formed in front of him, with a large hook, almost like a bullhook made out of ice shot out, flying towards Deliora's shoulder, with a long chain link made out of ice attached to the end of it, continually being created as the hook continued to fly forward, only to be blocked by Deliora as he grabbed it out of the air making Gray smirked as she grabbed the end of the chain, shooting forward as Deliora pulled on it, his cold Excalibur forming on his other hand as he shot towards the demon.

Erza smirked as she saw Gray continue to fight Deliora, even if he had little to no chance to actually deal any actual lasting damage to him, noticing he was simply stalling for Ultear and Lucy to escape with Ur, so that Natsu could beat the monster down, no longer caring whether or not he is the one to avenge his family, or the other as he once did as a child, but rather choosing to simply work together, knowing nobody, not even Natsu could defeat Deliora on their own. She requipped her _Blackwing Sword_ away, causing a flash of light to envelop it as a new weapon took its place, appearing to have a long wooden shaft, almost as if it was a staff. When the light died down it was revealed to be the _Lightning Empress Staff,_ capable of calling lightning to it at will, it has a very large blade and a decorated circle resembling a shield, or crest that was right under the blade, attached to the shaft, adorned with a ribbon.

She pointed the staff at Deliora, lightning crackling around it as light gathered around the tip of the blade, the glow increasing before it was released, a large yellow lightning bolt shot down, striking Deliora in the face before Gray was anywhere near his strike distance, blinding the demon for long enough that Gray was able to let go of his chain, reaching the peak of his velocity as he brought the long sword over his head, grabbing with both hands as he swung it down upon Deliora's shoulder, the same one Erza had wailed upon earlier, Increasing the density of the sword as it made contact with Deliora's shoulder, creating a small, but there gash, making Gray's eyes shoot open in shock, only to be picked up by Erza who grabbed him from under his shoulder, making him barely avoid the oversized fist that was sent towards him, attempting to slap him away.

"You're going to want to back up, a bit! _Fire Make; Meteor!_ " Natsu said aloud as a large Magic circle formed in the air above Deliora making Erza fly Gray up to the ledge above, giving him space to bring the roof down, noticing that they barely had any space, until Erza realized that Yukino was on the ground as well. The Magic began to expand until it was fifteen feet in diameter before it flashed, as a large ball of fire, the same size as the Magic circle came crashing down onto Deliora as he growled, attempting to defend himself from the monstrous ball of fire by cross his arms over his head, attempting to hold off the ball of fire, but the weight and pure heat it gave off made that quite the difficult task. The heat coming off of the fireball was so great that it began to crack the walls around them, absorbing the moisture and making it even more brittle than it was before.

"Go get her, I'll be good!" Gray said as he shot a chain out of his hand, getting it stuck into the ceiling above them, as he held it in his hands, making Erza nod her head as she flew up, before curling the wings around her, dropping down head first as she spun, picking up speed before her wings flared out, causing dust to fly as she flashed towards Yukino, picking her up as she flew into tunnel leading away from the cavern, and out of the tunnel towards the entrance, making Natsu smirk as he prepared to fire off his spell. Gray grit his teeth, as he had to put more magic into the hook, the heat radiating from the ball of fire, that Deliora struggled to hold off beginning to melt the chain.

"You're gonna want to get out of here too," Natsu said with a smirk as his _HellFire Flames_ began to tunnel around him, making Gray slightly pale before shooting another hook to the hole in the ceiling from which they ran the _Moon Drip._ Natsu listened as Gray began to climb the chain, waiting until he had completely lifted his body out of the room, making Natsu smirk as he snapped, causing the large ball of flames on top of Deliora to explode. expanding rapidly as it began to fill the whole room, making fire shoot out of the top of the room, making it look as if there was a volcano, making the villagers stare in shock while Happy shook his head in annoyance, trying to figure out a way to explain this, as the fire shot into the slowing blizzard on top of the Temple.

Natsu simply stood there, ignoring Deliora's pained growls as he prepared for his spell. just hoping that Ultear would be able to repair some of this afterward, knowing that Makarov would be very pissed that he had destroyed such a relic, even though it enabled others to use it for such a thing. He waited just until the flames began to die down, knowing that Deliora would have a chance to hit him while he completed the spell. Gray, Erza, and Yukino stared from a few meters away at the edge of the forest, watching in shock as Natsu turned the Temple into a Volcano, making everyone present hope that Sherry and Yuka, and Lucy and Ultear had safely gotten away, unsure as to whether they would have been able to protect themselves.

"Well, Let's take this party outside, shall we?" Natsu said out loud with a smirk on his face as he stepped off the ledge, beginning to plunge down as he channeled his magic within him, having a straight course into Onto Deliora's Neck and Shoulder.

" _Fire Dragon Kings Secret Art; Collapsing Sun!"_ Natsu cried as he impacted upon Deliora's shoulder before an unending torrent of flames shot out of his whole body, heavily burning Deliora's skin, causing him to roar in pain as the fire shot out, all around the room, hotter than any flames the world has ever seen before, almost completely vaporizing the rock and rubble around them as it shot outward, consuming everything around them causing a large flash of light to be visible as the temple began to collapse in upon itself as they watched in horror, worried that even Natsu would be in danger within that much rubble, the sheer heat turning the surrounding rock and earth into lava as it began to flow down, puddling at the center of the collapsed temple, also trapping Deliora within as well, as smoke began to rise out of the collapsed tunnel, beginning to impair their vision as they searched for any signs of survivors.

They watched with bated breath, hoping to find some sigh of Natsu escaping the rubble until they began to realize the heat of the flames began to completely melt the rubble around them, watching in shock as within seconds, what was once a large, elaborate temple was now a large crater, with black smoke billowing out of it, leaving them staring in curiosity causing one thought to go through all of their heads, 'Did Deliora survive? Could anything survive that?'.

* * *

And onto the Reviews!

NatsuHaremLover/26- In canon _Iced Shell_ does begin to whittle away at the being caught within the icy prison, but my logic is that since Deliora is that far above ur's strength, that the amount she would be able to take from him would be so small it wouldn't truly be noticed, as he hasn't moved a single muscle, or formed a thought in about a decade.


	28. A Demon's Final Stand

And Onto the Story!

Yukino, Gray, and Erza stood there waiting for any signs of life from the smoking pile of lava and rubble that was once a temple, capable of casting the dispeller known as Moon Drip. They stood there, their eyes peeled and their ears open for any signs of anyone needing help out of the rubble, having had somehow forgot all of the cultists that were frozen on the roof, from having had observed Gray's and Lyon's fight for supremacy and dominance.

What went unnoticed due to their focus on the smoldering temple, was that in between all the stray fire, and ice, the sky above the temple cracked, the insane temperature switch from freezing to boiling fractured the lens above them.

Erza stood there in her Blackwing armor, having had taken a few steps away from Yukino, having had hoped a different viewing vantage would have given her a better viewpoint through all the smoke and rubble, that continued to waft off the lava and rock, the sheer heat residing from the spell continuing to melt the rock, making them almost cringe at the smell coming downwind from the temple, smelling like a forge that was launched after being out of business for a decade, without being cleaned.

Yukino stood there, her right hand clenching her left elbow as she stood there, uncomfortable as she rose to the tips of her toes sporadically, hoping that even less than an inch of height would aid her in seeing anyone trying to escape the rubble, wanting to try and help, as she felt useless that even she was called to for aid, she stood back, watching them fight, and struggle.

Gray looked through the smoke, confused as to why Natsu was not seen yet, as all he would have had to do was use Flaming Steps and flash over here, making him worried that Deliora may have grabbed him, holding him until he could no longer escape, making him feel even worse as this was yet the second time Natsu had sacrificed himself in less than an hour even though he should have been able to survive the heat. Erza stood there, unaware, and not even caring about what happened earlier, a frown quickly expanding on her face as she glared at the rubble before a white flash enveloped her whole body, making Gray smirk in bemusement while Yukino looked at her confused, as the ambient heat was still too hot to even dare to approach the temple.

Yukino simply gaped when the flash of light died down a fraction of a second later, revealing Erza in all her glory as she stood there looking almost as if she posed as she examined the area before her, praying that she wouldn't ruin yet another armor, as the fact that the heat from Natsu's spell almost instantly turned the rock and limestone into lava is astonishing. Erza stood there proudly in her Flame Empress Armor, hoping that it would be able to protect her from the heat, as otherwise, her skin would begin to blister once she got within ten meters of the "impact zone".

Just as Erza was about to take a step forward she faltered, the ground beneath them shaking making Yukino quiver, afraid that the immortal demon was somehow under them. Erza requipped her sword while Gray lowered into an ice maker stance, prepared to attack if need be, only to watch the ground before their eyes crumble, making Gray smile as he jumped into the hole, making Erza walk forward, requipping a length of rope so they could lift Ur up if need be.

Pants of fear and exhaustion could now be heard as one by one, Lucy, Ultear and Ur joined the rest upon safe ground, watching the smoldering pile of rubble and lava before them in shock, which only seemed to intensify Lucy's fear, because if she tripped, or if she was a second late...

"What! In Hell! Was that!" Lucy screamed, in between pants as she bent over holding her knees, trying to catch her breath while Erza inspected Ur, curious as to how well the revival process went as they now had some time to spare since she was a little too preoccupied to watch the process with her own eyes.

Ultear stared at the temple in astonishment, until she felt amusement bubbling up in her chest, almost a sick relief at the fact both she and her mother made it out alive, and unaware that Natsu hadn't either, let alone Yuka or Sherry, and the cultists on the roof. Lucy looked at her, annoyed that Ultear was able to laugh after having almost been burnt to death, in that mess of lava, demons, and stone.

Even Erza looked up from Ur, carefully hiding her astonishment, curious as to how Natsu held so much power and amazed that it had never come to wind in the guild that he was capable of such a thing. She looked at Ultear in worry, already trying to figure out a way to explain why A councilwoman fell into madness on the island of demons during their subjugation mission.

"I've heard the council going on and on, complaining about how Fairy Tail caused so much destruction... But to see it first hand..." Ultear giggled as her eyes shined with mirth making Gray smirk while had the exact opposite reaction, sighing in annoyance as she still hasn't been able to get them to stop. Yukino simply looked at them, confused that a guild was able to stay open if that amount of destruction and wreckage was the norm, as the bills must be immense unless they have other forms of income.

"Yeah, we're pretty bad, or would it be good? at that," Natsu says as he literally flashed into existence in a ball of fire, making Yukino jump in fright, having had never known he could move around in such a way, and having had been too focused on the rubble to have had any semblance of awareness to his presence, like the others, but, they were more aware, if that was even possible.

Everyone turned to Natsu, anxious if they had Trapped Deliora in yet another prison, before Natsu walked to Erza, grabbing her by the shoulders making her look at him, annoyed that he was about to practically manhandle her making him cringe as he let go.

"I need to you to requip into your _Sea Empress Armor_ and cool down the lava! It will give us more time!" Natsu blurted out making Erza requip instantly before he grabbed her shoulders, wings of fire shooting out of his back as they shot into the sky, before flying over the rubble, only to be quickly obscured from their vision when water began to torrent down, cooling the lava into a rock once more, making steam and smoke fly up.

"There's no way Deliora could have survived that, right?" Yukino asked as she turned to Gray and Ultear, wondering if anything could have survived that lava and flames, knowing that Deliora would have been in the blast zone, Lucy simply stood there, gawking at the amount of damage, before she sighed, having had seen just how cramped they were. She turned to Ultear, a glimmer of hope in her eyes as she looked at her, hoping that she had her keys before she sighed, knowing that most of her spirits were either too weak, or slow. 'Cancer can't cut him, Taurus won't even get close... Maybe Sagittarius would have been useful?' Lucy considered as she stared at the sky, hoping her spirits, and her mother would be able to forgive her.

"Unfortunately, yeah, they just cooled the lava buying us some time to heal and plan," Gray sighed as he ran his hand through his hair, before dropping down onto his bottom, crossing his legs as he planned to meditate, to draw upon his magic so he would actually be able to help avenge the fallen citizens of Vargo.

Both Yukino and Ultear watched confused when they saw Erza fly back in her Blacking Armor, confused as to why Natsu didn't come with her.

"Natsu is searching for Yuka and Sherry," Erza said with a sigh as her feet landed on the ground before she requipped into Hearts Kreuz armor before Requipping a large sheet of paper before laying it on the ground, motioning Ultear and Lucy forward as she began to draw a very terrible representation of the battlefield, going off of what she saw when she cooked the magma into rock. Ultear watched Erza draw with a bemused smile on her face as she did her best to hold back a laugh, resorting to holding her breath as she attempted to calm down, not wanting to invoke the wrath of the legendary Titania, since Gray was too weak to stop her while Natsu was looking for the others.

Lucy on the other hand almost felt relief, glad that Erza wasn't the best at everything, even though her map looked more like a child's scrawl. Erza looked up to them after she completed her very basic sketch of the land, completely missing the amusement twinkling in Ultear's eye.

"I can only hope you will at least help with the ranged defense?" Erza asked with a glare, making a smirk grow on Ultear's face as she noticed Erza was attempting to intimidate her into helping.

"I owe Natsu everything... I at least owe him this," Ultear said with a sigh as her eyes drifted back towards her mother, remembering the look in his eyes as he stood there, blocking their attempts to save him. How he looked so lifeless inside as he kneeled there, preparing to die while he let them do nothing to save him. Erza noticed Ultear's flipped mood, making her quirk a brow as she looked at her, confused as to what she missed. She then turned to Lucy and noticed her downtrodden expression making her sigh before she turned to Gray, knowing that he would give her an answer, straight.

"Gray, what did Natsu do to revive Ur?" Erza asked as she glared at the ice mage, making him chuckle which surprised her.

"Oh, this is a good one. Flame brain summoned a Valkyrie, who then went to collect his soul for payment," Gray said as he stood up, comfortable with how much magic he had since even Deliora would have taken damage from the _Collapsing Sun_. He turned to Erza, surprised to see the broken, but angry expression on her face as he raised a brow before looking at her map, smiling uncontrollably when he saw Erza's terrible stick drawing of Deliora in the middle of the crater.

Erza turned to look at the girls around d her, having had first hoped that Gray was making some type of joke, until she realized just how upset some of the others were, which made her confused. Ultear, nor Yukino should have cared that much, so why were they so upset, until Gray stepped in once more, always ready to bury a friend under a mountain of angry women.

"Oh, did I forget to mention that when we tried to step in and stop her, he disabled our attacks as he stood there? It's almost like the idiot wanted to die." Gray said making Erza's anger shoot up, no longer upset that he could have died behind her, without her even knowing as she clenched her fists in anger, making both Lucy and Yukino cringe, worried for the man who will be practically carrying them through the fight.

Erza turned to the map, anger clear in her face as she tried to let it go, tried to annoy all the emotions fighting to control her as she tried to focus on the map, gesturing everyone towards her as they stared at the map, prepared for their instructions.

"Are you full on magic?" Erza asked as she turned to Gray, having had never seen him use his Armor of the Fallen Soldier before, and curious how close he would be able to get, before she threw that idea aside, rather deciding for everyone but her and Natsu to stay on ranged attacks.

"Yukino, what keys can you use, and what can they do?" Erza asked as she turned to the platinum-haired girl, making her nervous as she pulled out her keys.

"Deneb can summon lightning, and Pisces are large fish, who can attack with their teeth and tails, even though they look more like serpents," Yukino said quietly making Lucy amazed while Erza quirked her brow.

"How big are we talking about?" Erza asked as she looked at the platinum-haired girl, understanding more and more why Natsu was so quick to take her under his wing, his vast magical reserves and his understanding of Stellar magic making him the perfect candidate to teach her, before she remembered Lucy, before deciding to have him train the buxom blonde as well.

"They wouldn't have fit in the cave, it would have left them vulnerable," Yukino said quietly since everyone was staring at her, knowing that she was the least experienced mage there, making her quite nervous as she didn't want to let them down, or mess up. Her answer made Erza smile at the girls understanding how such a fight could be considered daunting.

"Very well, you will summon Pisces, Gray you're on ranged attacks as well, Ultear you can defend your mother..." Erza trailed off as she turned back to the map, making color-coded stickmen according to their hair colors, as she strategically placed them all around the crater, but leaving them close enough to help each other as she left a large gap at the shore, giving them the option to push Deliora into the water.

"I just wish Yuka hadn't disabled my flight armor," Erza muttered as she hesitated at drawing herself in, her red pen hovering over the page, having had wanted to aid Natsu in melee combat, wanting to distract Deliora, as her flight armor would have been fast enough to avoid Deliora, based on his earlier speed at least. Ultear laughed into her fist making Erza glare at her, feeling as if the councilwoman was mocking her.

"I think I can help with that," Ultear giggled into her fist with a smile before she suddenly stopped, feeling weird as she had never smiled this much in her life, happiness having had been out of reach as long as she was under Hades control, her saving grace was that Meredy was safe, otherwise this truly would have been a living Hell.'Thank you, Natsu, for making my dream a reality,' Ultear thought happily, as she looked back to her mother.

Erza looked at Ultear confused but realized she should trust the councilwoman because having another friend on the council would be very useful, as 2 out of the 9 members would then be Fairy Supporters. Erza sighed as her body was enveloped in a flash of light, before it died down revealing her in her broken down, disabled armor as her arms supported the armor, making Ultear smirk as a magic circle formed under feet, and before her eyes her armor began to repair itself, even the magical properties and tunes on it came back fully as her armor was repaired making ErZa smirk, as that would have taken at least a few hundred jewels and a month for them to replace all the runes.

Erza smiled as she brought her red marker down, drawing herself in beside Natsu's pink stickman making Gray sweat drop and Yukino sweatdrop. She had even drawn in Pisces and Ur, the former being large squiggly Lines while Ur rested behind Ultear with x for eyes.

"Alright, listen up because I do not want to say this more than once," Erza said with a glare directed to Gray while the rest ain't listened, prepared to absorb Erza's master plan.

 **Natsu's PoV**

'Come on! Where are they!' Natsu thought as he flashed around the rubble-filled crater appearing and reappearing as he searched for either Yuka's or Sherry's scent. He flashed around the whole area, staying aware of the time between ground quakes, so he would be more aware of when Deliora would finally break free of his rock tomb, knowing that even though they now had more space to go all out without injuring the others, Deliora would also be free to go all out, no longer holding back as he was more than furious of this fight so far.

'Come on! Come on! Where could they have gone!" Natsu said as he flashed to the edge of the crater before slamming his hand onto the ground, hesitating less than an inch above the ground realizing two things. One, he could possibly kill both Sherry and Yuka by burying them underground, and Two, he could help free Deliora by shifting the distribution and weight of the rubble. But, one thing did happen, the pure force of his punch caused a large enough draft that it pushed away the smoke, that hadn't begun to choke Natsu, but had begun to hide Yuka and Sherry's scent, which he then began to pick up on as he inhaled deeply, trying to calm down as Deliora would be freed at any minute now.

'There!' Natsu thought as his head shot up. almost randomly turning in another direction as he flashed in that direction, the spell so eerily similar to Laxus' lightning body as he randomly came upon some random ground, calling upon his magic as he prepared to dig them up. He knelt on the ground pouring a constant stream of his fire magic through the cracks in the rubble beneath him, taking care to remove the heat of it.

His flames began to surround the mages beneath him, scaring them as they were worried the blistering heat has finally come for them. The screaming quickly died down when they realized that the flames were following a pattern as if they were controlled. They were relieved when the flames encompassed their whole body as if they were in a large hamster ball. The flames in Natsu's hands then began to strengthen and condense, training into a rope as he prepared to carry them.

" _Fire Make; Wings!"_ Natsu whispered as wings shot out of his back, reminiscent of a dragon, or even a demons wings, rather than a feathered birds wing. He grabbed the condensed flame of ropes in his hand before he began to flap his wings, preparing to not only lift both Yuka and Sherry while staying in control of his flames, lest he turns them to ash. But, to also dislodge the hundreds of pounds of rock and rubble that had cooled and hardened, his muscles tensing as he began to pull on the rope, feeling his arms tense as he grit his teeth, pulling with all his might, and hoping that he frees then before they suffocate, because otherwise, all the rubble he dislodged above them will all come crashing down.

" _Fire Make; Rockets!"_ Natsu yelled as he began to shoot a constant stream of flames out of his feet, having had quickly realized that by levitating himself in the air, he was no longer grounded to pull with all his might, as his feet weren't touching the ground. He began to make some progress, hearing the rocks below him crack and shift as the ball of flames containing the two mages vegan to rise up, his arms clenched as he continued to focus on the multiple applications he was using his magic on at once.

After a minute or so of pulling, and a few inches of progress he began to get worried, knowing that it may have been about a few minutes of reduced air by now, and not knowing how injured Sherry was. He called upon his magic once more, beginning to strain his concentration as both his wings and rockets were still running.

" _Fire Make; Giant!"_ Natsu shouted as his whole body became encompassed in Flames, extending his limbs and increasing his body around him, taking his same figure and proportions, but simply projecting them a hundred times larger upon himself, making it seem as if he was a mere ant stuck in a flame. He quickly dispelled his rockets and wings, as he used his legs and pulled, dislodging more rocks quicker as the cracks on the ground below him increased, his whole body still retaining its weight as fire does not have any weight or mass, unlike ice or water _._

He was surprised at how long this was taking, making him upset as he could have sworn that they had escaped, making him frown as he could have easily killed them. The ground below him began to rise, making his frown turn upside down as he realized that they were soon to be freed. He pulled with renewed vigor as he pulled them out of the ground and up into the air making the rocks all table down into the newly created hole,

He gently rested the ball of flames onto the ground, his giant quickly disappearing as he dispelled the ball of fire around them, once his feet touched the ground he comically fell to the ground, his whole body crying out, his legs and arms sore with how much weight he had to pull, not only the people beneath him but the rocks above them. He turned on his back towards them, noticing his Sherry was beginning to wake up, her body covered in scrapes and tears, barely concealing her dignity as her eyes began to flicker open, panicking when she didn't recognize where she was, unaware that Natsu and Yuka were merely a few feet away.

She began to look around, her eyes closing in panic as she saw the rocky land below her, a far difference from the luscious green and limestone she was so familiar with.

"Calm down, the temple collapsed, seems like Yuka passed out trying to help you," Natsu said as he had gotten to his feet, exhausted but still having enough magic to put the demon down before he passed out, as he took his cloak off before laying it across Sherry's body, making her shocked when she realized his eyes were not open, not trying to look at her when her clothes were torn, directing himself with his scent alone as he gently covered Sherry in his wizard saints cloak.

'He didn't look, he saved me, he saved Yuka, and knew how torn up my clothes were, but he still didn't look... Who is this Natsu Dragneel that is so different than the other perverted men in Fairy Tail?' Sherry thought as she looked up at the man who was waking up Yuka, for once the thought of never XXXXXXX even crossing her mind as she watched Yuka slowly get up, only to hear him cry in pain.

"Yuka!" Sherry cried as she shot up, looking down at her friend, who was cradling his left arm that Natsu was holding between both arms, one hand on the bluenette shoulder, and the other on his elbow. Natsu continued to stare at Yuka shoulder for a few more seconds before he let go, removing his hands as he clapped them together, clearing them of dust as he approached Sherry, allowing the bluenette to get to his feet while he cradled his left shoulder that was recently replaced.

Sherry looked up at Natsu curiously, confused when he bent crouched at her side until he scooped her up into his arms, cradling her to his chest making her face heat up as she held the cloak over her body like a child would a blanket as they stared up at their parents with only their fingers and face visible. Natsu watched as Yuka finished rolling his shoulder before nodding to the pink haired saint, letting him know that his shoulder was working perfectly.

"Let's hurry on, who knows when big bad and grumpy will finally crawl out of his hole," Natsu said cheerily as he began to lead the way towards the others with Yuka following him in silence, while Sherry snuggled into his shoulder, letting out a sigh of comfort as she closed her eyes, enjoying the rise as Natsu carried her, his warmth making her feel more relaxed than she had in years.

 _"_ Thank You," she whispered as she fell into a restful needed sleep as she was still completely drained of magic, making a small, but warm smile pull on Natsu's lips as he looked at the young woman in his arms before he shook his head, trying not to notice how beautiful she was, or how _right_ it felt to HD her, having had been tested many times today on his faithfulness towards Mira and found himself proud that he stayed in control, most of the time.

 **Erza's PoV**

 **"-** es everyone understands the plan?" Erza asked as she looked at the mages gathered around her, oblivious to the amusement dancing in Ultear's eyes as what was once a basic sketch of the land became covered in squiggles and arrows as she went through the plan. Gray simply sweatdropped as he was more aware of how terrible Erza's art skills were, as they rarely every drew things, rather deciding to train and work than doodle.

Yukino and Lucy were the only ones to take Erza seriously as they focused on the plan, being the two least comfortable mages in the group, having not only the least amount of experience, but training and control as well since everyone else had at least to help, and guide them on their journey as up and coming mages.

'I only hope I am able to keep Pisces open long enough...' Yukino thought with a sigh as she stared at the key in her hands, almost hoping she passed out, not having to worry or panic every single second Deliora did not fall, as she would only mess up, and didn't want to lose the deal she made with Natsu if someone were to become hurt, or worse, even die because of her.

"And now onto plan B..." Erza said making g Ultear laugh aloud while Gray simply sighed, worried that Erza would get mad and waste magic trying to fight Ultear. Erza turned to the purple haired councilwoman with a glare, daring her to say something while the two stellar mages simply watched, confused and worried as to how the most experienced mages could lose focus over something so silly.

Once Erza was certain that Ultear had "learned her lesson" she turned back to the map, Requipping it away making everyone look at her confused.

"If more than one of us can no longer fight, or God forbid falls in battle, everyone falls back and leave it up to Natsu..." Erza said with a sigh, making everyone look at her shocked, as Natsu had already expended a lot of magic so far, and while Gray would never admit it, Natsu's container seemed to be even ten times larger than his own, and while he would have usually felt inadequate, Natsu and Laxus were almost always training, never resting, and never taking a break. 'Maybe... Maybe Next time I should join Natsu with his training, it obviously did something for him...' Gray considered as he turned back towards the smoke, being able to feel the ground running from even here which went to show just how close Deliora was from breaching the surface.

Just as he went to turn back to Erza, he caught something in the corner of his eyes making him turn back around, searching through the smoke that had just begun to die down seeing hints of pink through the smoke making him smirk as everyone else turned their heads to look at what Gray was smirking at until he noticed that Sherry was in Natsu's arms, seemingly passed out as he walked over to them with Yuka walking behind him, almost limping as they approached the rest of the mages, who stood there watching, until Gray saw Yuka stumble forward, running to catch him before he fell on his face, and finding himself a little too slow, but, at least the bluenette wouldn't have to walk the rest of the way alone.

Natsu approached the others, glad to see Ultear, Ur and Lucy all alive and kicking, for the most part as he tenderly laid Sherry beside Ur, making sure to adjust the cloak as to keep her dignity in check while they fought, before requipping a few tent studs and stabbing them into the ground, so that the cloak didn't fly off. Yukino and Lucy almost cringed when Natsu stabbed the first stud through his cloak, knowing what the significance of the Wizard Saint cloak was, and confused as to why he would ruin it so quickly.

The more experienced mages simply nodded, knowing that the upcoming battle would be of cosmic proportions, so much so that trees could uproot and earthquakes could shatter the ground beneath them, assuming that Deliora didn't waste all his energy trying to free himself.

"Why did yo-" Lucy began to ask as Natsu stood up, watching as Gray set Yuka beside them, understanding that the fact Natsu didn't heal either of them suggested that he was low on magic, and made sure that Yuka was between Ur and Sherry, so that he would at least be able to help watch for Ultear, and ultimately protect the two women around them. Lucy cut her question off when she saw Natsu requip a light pen, before drawing some runes in front of the three injured, and immobile mages, making everyone watch in shock until Ultear began to recognize the runes, the ones specifically used by rune nights to corner and capture dangerous mages.

"How-! What-! How do you know so many types of magic?!' Lucy yelled in shock as she looked at Natsu, now seeing him use what appeared to be the fifth type of magic in his repertoire. Both Yukino and Gray agreed with Lucy, as they had both devoted their lives to mastering their magic.

"When I went around doing quests, I asked Laxus to help Freed teach me how to draw protection runes. My magic is very, very dangerous. The _Collapsing Sun_ is one of my strongest slayer spells, not to mention I have other, deadlier Secret arts. It's a must, my magic isn't intended for control. It's hot, explosive and deadly. I don't know all rune magic, nor can I requip like Erza can, and if it wasn't for the sheer size of my magic container, I probably wouldn't be as good as stellar magic as I am. I do not intend to master every magic, just simply learn enough so that nobody dies because I make a mistake." Natsu explained as he requipped away the light pen before clapping his hands together as he stood up, almost losing his balance that only Erza caught, making her curious as to just where he found the two others, but ultimately decided that she should save that question for later

"Right, so what's the plan?" Natsu asked only for Gray to sigh while Ultear giggled, making him look at her with a raised brow until he watched Erza requip a map and walk towards him, only to hear the sound of rocks breaking as Deliora roared in a mixture of anger and agony as a black and pink charred hand shot through the surface of smoldering ground that the temple had once stood on. Gray watched in shock as he assess the damage done to Deliora as his other hand come smashing through the surface, his gargantuan fingers attempting and failing to catch on the ground so that he could pull the rest of his body through the hole he was attempting to pull his body through so that he could seek vengeance upon the petty mages before him.

"Everyone into their positions!" Erza cried aloud as she prompted the mages around her to begin to run into their designated positions until Natsu reached out, catching Lucy's arm as she began to leave with Yukino, as Erza had somehow thought she would be able to help Yukino, without her keys. Lucy turned to Natsu, confused as to why Natsu would stop her as Deliora had dug his fingers into the ground, his burnt and blistered scaly skin bleeding as it cracked upon contact with the rough rocky ground.

"Here," Natsu said softly as he took her keys out of his pants pocket, making her look at him in shock until she tackled him with a hug, peppering him with praise as she attempted to squeeze the life out of them, making Ultear watch on, curious to see how her test would play out while Erza ignored the two, or at least tried to as she remembered a scene from one of her books, before he went to battle he would kiss hi- 'No! They aren't like that! Natsu's dating... Mira...' Erza thought solemnly as it was yet another reminder of how her old rival had beaten her, in what could be the only thing that ever truly mattered in life.

"Lucy, remember, giant rampaging Demon?" Natsu said with a chuckle as he used enough force to gently pry her out of his arms, making her literally beam at him in happiness, her eyes shining brighter than the stars in the sky as her smile seemed to make him feel relaxed as a different, but not unpleasant warmth grew in his chest, glad that he had been able to help his friend so. Ultear continued to watch, waiting to see if he would take full credit for finding the keys, and possibly win Lucy over, or tell the truth, and be an honest person.

"Where di- How! Thank you so much! You have no-" Lucy trailed off as she quickly looked through all her keys, making sure that everyone was present as she clasped her keys to her large bosom as she smiled up at him like a child almost, making Natsu smile as he put his hand on her head, rubbing her hair as he smiled down at the blonde who's lack of experience and overall pain allowed her to keep most of her innocence around her, which was a far cry from other mages he had met in and around the guild.

"Trust me, I didn't find them. A certain someone figured you had earned it," Natsu said with a wink as his eyes shot towards Ultear, making her blush at the sheer amount of appreciation, respect and kindness in his eyes as he completely ignored the fact she had technically sat there, and watched her mother die and suffer for almost three years, not to mention everything else she had done in her life, which he had ignored completely, as he could no doubt smell some of the blood on her hands. Lucy looked at him confused, until she realized where he was looking, but more like who he was looking at before he disappeared in a flash of fire making Lucy jump with a shriek before running towards Yukino, taking her spot to the right of Ultear, with Gray on the left of the councilwoman while Erza requipped into her flight armor before slowly walking forward and stopping a couple dozen feet away from Deliora who hand now pulled his head and shoulders out of growing hole in the ground before him, continuing to roar in pain as he struggled to tear himself out of the ground .

What was once a proud, strong demon was reduced to an angry demon seeming to cling to his life as he struggled to crawl out of the rocky and lava molded tomb as his burnt, crispy skin tore upon the rocks as he crawled out of the ground like an overgrown demon, the smell of burning flesh permeating from the breeze drifting from the beach as he rested his elbows on the ground, trying to get purchase on his feet as he tried to jump out of the ground, his clawed bipedal feet scraping at the rocky tomb around him.

Gray watched openly in shock, having had voices in his head, whispering, that they would lose, that they would fail. But to see Natsu do such damage with something that wasn't even his strongest spell... The one thing he was surprised about, was that his healing factor hadn't seemed to kick in yet, making him curious if Natsu's _HellFire Flames_ had somehow disabled his healing momentarily, but then that would bring to question as to why didn't Yuka's antimagic effect the demon in a similar way. Everyone simply stood there, watching as Deliora crawled out of the ground like a zombie, with what could only be pain on his face as his once, perfectly flawless blue skin had turned crispy and black, burnt beyond healing as he crawled out of the hole in the ground, wailing as you could obviously see the impact point, right where Natsu had landed his _HellFire Claw._

Lucy almost felt pity as she watches the demon crawl out of the ground, demon blood beginning to poll on the ground as his whole body shook in what could be pain or anger as his eyes trained onto the pinkette below him, his jaw attempting to move pulling at the skin that began to crack and flake to the ground making both stellar mages hold their mouths as they turned around, doing their best not to puke as a deep, ancient baritone voice could be heard making everyone stare at the demon in shock as they could feel his power channeling around him, but feeling completely different from anything they felt before. More monstrous than even Gildarts, but completely tainted and dark making Yukino fall to stumble before Natsu caught her shoulder as she puked on the ground, having had heard her discomfort and flashed over to assist his new protege, rubbing her back as panted, the terrible taste of vomit staining her mouth while Lucy clenched her eyes shut, trying to ignore everything going on around as she attempted to control her stomach.

" ** _R_** _el **e** a **se** M **y L** i **mi** te **r!"**_ Deliora grounded out as his burns continued to flake, his flesh falling to the ground as his whole body was surrounded by an aura of dark power, but feeling nothing like the magic they had all spent their lives honing and training to perfection. They watched as the aura around him began to condense and solidify, surrounding him in a crystal scarily similar to Ur's _Iced Shell,_ but without its pure white tinge, and more of a dark, transparent purple, so dark in fact that it was almost black. They watched with worry as Yukino had finally recovered, watching as the dark crystal began to shine before cracks began appearing on the surface before it completely exploded.

Ultear watched, curiosity enveloping her entire mind as she recorded this battle on a new lacrima, having had already documented the sheer amount of damage Natsu had been able to inflict on this demon with two hits, only to feel worried as the shards shot towards her, before they impacted onto the barrier before her, having had flown so fast she was unable to react, as she watched the tip of the dark purple shards pierce the barrier before her. The other mages around her had defended themselves in their own ways, making shields out of their respective magics as a purple mist cloud enveloped the ground Deliora stood upon, hiding his body from sight as they finally noticed that darkness had completely settled around them, having had been completely oblivious to the time due to the stress of everything.

The demons shadow could be seen through the mist, his body enhanced and armored as his silhouette had changed, having large, spiky played on his right shoulder with a dark purple crown crystals upon his head, his eyes glowing through the crystal engulfing his head being the only true distinguishable feature of him. His fists and arms were encased in black and purple crystals, with jagged crystal spikes on the outside of his forearm, acting like tangents on a curve as he flexed his arms, feeling re-invigorated due to this new power flowing through his veins. His chest was completely covered in the purple crystal, his abdomen, muscle, and pecs covered in a thin, but strong breastplate, almost like a second skin. The rest of his torso was covered in dark purple shards spiking out, almost like horns or talons ranging from a few inches to a few feet in length, pointed towards the sky. Deliora legs were some of the same, having spikes on the side of his thighs and shins, the rest being covered in skin-tight purple transparent crystals. His feet were covered in spiky crystals, with spikes sprouting out of the back of his heel, which did seem a little overkill.

Gray was almost traumatized as the dust settled, revealing this newly armored Deliora, but was surprised to see that his skin was not completely healed, making both Gray and Natsu curious. 'What is so special about my flames...' Natsu thought as he looked at his hands, before flashing back beside Erza, prepared to follow the plan as they noticed Deliora's confidence oozing off of him.

'He never used-' Gray thought as he looked at the demon, completely shocked since Deliora felt almost twice as powerful as he was before, and even then Ur was unable to kill the demon. His newly found hope was quickly extinguished when he noticed the frown on Erza's face, neither of them confident that they would even have the slightest chance to win anymore, having had been worried before, but now...

Natsu noticed that the mages around him were now sullen, losing hope as they stared at the imposing figure of the demon before them making him smirk, before he disappeared a flash of fire making everyone looks in shock as he appeared in front of Deliora's head before slamming his fist engulfed in flames into Deliora's arm, that he had lifted in defense making a shockwave blow around the whole area, blowing dust, dirt, and debris away from them into the mages around them. Natsu's laugh could be heard emanating from his body as he lifted his feet up before slamming them against Deliora's arm, kicking off and flipping away before skidding on the ground back towards Erza skidding as he ended right beside her.

Everyone looked at him, shocked as to how he could be so hopeful or happy when this could be their last fight ever. 'Yep, Flame Brain's definitely lost it,' Gray thought as he felt a smirk growing on his own face as he lowered into his _Ice-Make_ stance prepared to aid this crazy saint beside him, as he could only wonder what else Natsu had stood up against to be able to smile in such a time like this.

Both Yukino and Lucy were almost shaking in fear, having had never even been in a fight anywhere near this scale, maybe fighting the random bandit or scourge of the land upon their travels, but never a large beast like this. They turned to the pinkette, almost feeling awed that he was this comfortable, making them question once more just how strong he was, as anyone else wouldn't be able to do half the things he did this day, but to still be able to stand strong and proud like this...

"You know, I was almost looking forward to this. Look around us? now I don't have to hold back!" Natsu shouted with an almost manically happy grin on his face as he lunged forward completely engulfed in flames making Gray smirk as a magic circle formed in front of him while Yukino and Lucy turned to each other, before grabbing their keys preparing to summon their respective spirits while Erza simply stood there, shaking her head in a weird mixture of amusement and shock at how easy he had gotten them to join the fight, even if they might not even win.

" _Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"_ Natsu chanted as he engulfed both of his hands in his usual fire magic, forming large balls of fire as he jumped into the air, the balls of fire only continuing to grow as he held them above his head before he slammed his hands together, making a large, volatile ball of flames as he reached the apex of his jump before he slammed his hands back down upon the demon, throwing the large ball of flames at the demon, who didn't even flinch when the huge, extremely hot ball of flames impacted upon his crossed arms, simply standing there as he waited for the fire to disappate, feeling the pain of the sheer heat on his arms and chest even though they did not specifically destroy or even scratch his armor.

" _Ice-Make; Lance!"_ Gray shouted as large, thick lances made out of ice shot from the magic circle in front of him, just as Natsu's wing attack was about to make contact, before shooting at high speeds towards the demon, simply bouncing off the crystal plates on Deliora's shoulder and chest making Gray groan. Natsu was about to attack

" _Open! The Gate of the Two Fish! Come, Pisces!"_ Yukino shouted as the golden key in her hand flashed a bright yellow as a large gong sound could be heard echoing around the rocky clearing as a huge magical circle formed in front of her as two, large serpent-like creatures shout out with contrasting shades, seeming to be over seven feet in diameter as they continued to shoot out of the magic circle, making Everyone watch in shock as they continued to spiral out of the magic circle before their tails could be seen, as they shot into the air, their bodies moving as if they were still in water as they soared through the sky before they spun around, spiraling towards the ground before slamming into Deliora, who simply grabbed one in each hand, before swinging them around his head, disorienting them as he slammed them into the ground, making Erza zip out of the way as she was watching everyone's attacks, searching for a weakness in his armor.

Yukino watched in shock as one of her strongest spirits were countered so easily making her cringe as she felt sorry for the pain that they must have experienced, but was completely surprised that they were not called back into the _Celestial Spirit Realm_ , meaning that they were still capable of fighting.

" _Open, Gate of the Archer, Sagittarius!"_ Lucy shouted as the sound of a classic doorbell echoed across the battleground, as a flash of light appeared in front of Lucy, before it died down, revealing the man in the horse costume once more making Yukino sweatdrop at the blondes spirit. Deliora simply stood there, before crossing his arms, taunting them to attempt to attack them as he simply stood there, completely confident of his ultimate defense.

Both Sagittarius and Erza attempted to examine his armor, looking for any cracks, or breaks even a millimeter thick as Deliora continued to stand there. 'It's perfect... his armor is perfect...' Erza concluded in shock as she watched Pisces shake themselves out of their stupor before the began to fly up, circling around Deliora, rather choosing to look for an opening to exploit while Natsu sighed, closing his eyes as his magic channeled around him a mixture of his _HellFire_ and regular fire mixing around him in a spiral as he looked at the demon, before disappearing in a flash before he reappeared in front of Deliora, who was still standing still with his hands crossed on his chest.

" _Fire Dragons Wing Attack!"_ Natsu shouted as the fire engulfing his body channeled around his arms as he held them over his head before swinging them down towards Deliora, as thick whips of fire at least twenty feet long extended from his arms as he swung them down, striking the stoic Deliora upon his armored arms, not even cracking the crystals as he simply stood there waiting for Natsu to get closer before his fist shot out faster than before, about to slam into Natsu's side before he used his _Flaming Steps_ flashing out of the danger zone as he re-appeared upon Deliora's shoulder as he reared his fist back, engulfing it in his _HellFire Flames_ as he slammed it down, spreading his fingers apart.

" _HellFire Dragon's Damning Claw! HellFire Dragon's Infernal Tail Whip! HellFire Dragon's Retribution!"_ Natsu shouted as he unleashed a barrage of his _HellFire_ repertoire, his right hand being covered in those dark flames as they formed into a malicious claw which he slammed down onto Deliora's neck his claws making a terrible, obnoxious scratching sound as it dragged across the crystals, leaving small, but present cracks before he continued to follow through flipping his whole body as his whole left leg was engulfed in those same flames, becoming a large scaly tail with a two-pronged forked tail that was a few inches apart which slammed down on the exact same spot, actually managing to crack the crystals making Deliora's eyes shoot open in shock as he uncrossed his arms, before attempting to swat Natsu off his shoulder. Natsu jumped off Deliora's shoulder the second his foot touched Deliora's shoulder, flying up into the air as a large magic circle bloomed in front of his face immediately as held his fists in front of his mouth. He blew out dozens of small little balls of _HellFire_ that began to exponentially grow, impacting into Deliora's shoulder with a diameter of three feet as it actually shattering the cracked crystal armor making Deliora roar in shock while everyone else smirked while Natsu flashed away, appearing back down beside Ultear. Sagittarius unleashed a volley of arrows that flew towards Deliora's uncovered shoulder while Pisces flew down, intending to head smash Deliora in the shoulder.

"So, that was annoying..." Natsu said making Ultear look at him in a disproportionate mixture of shock and amusement, as he was making small talk while the others were literally fighting for their life as the black serpent slammed into Deliora's left shoulder first, distracting him so that he was completely unaware of when the white serpent slammed into his previously injured, un-armored shoulder sending Deliora to his knees with a loud bellow, scaring away any wildlife that wasn't already scared, as the ground shook due to the sheer volume and intensity of the roar.

"Aren't you, supposed to, I don't know, help them?" Ultear asked with a smirk on her face as she crossed her arms under her very generous bosom as she looked at the pinkette, surprised to see that he never even looked down, rather choosing to look the woman in the eyes.

"I had a question, I doubt your _Arc Of Time_ would work on that armor would it?' Natsu suggested hypothetically making Ultear look at him, confused as to how he even knew of her magic, as it was such a lost magic barely anyone remembered it, let alone being capable of controlling it. He raised a brow at her lack of answer, his keen senses keeping an eye on the other's coordination, making sure they didn't need him to intervene for a minute or so.

"I am not sure, _Flash Forward!"_ Ultear yelled as a magic circle appeared under Deliora, doing literally nothing making Natsu sigh while Ultear simply looked at him, unwrapping her arms as she put her hands on her waist, emphasizing her perfect figure making Natsu smirk as he looked her in the eyes, becoming more aware that she was doing all of this on purpose, why was still for question, but.

" _Ice Make; Canon!"_ Gray shouted as a large canon formed on the ground in front of him angled perfectly to make contact with Deliora's right shoulder, as that was the part of his arm that had never healed. He pulled the icy braided rope in his hand, triggering the large one foot cannonball to shoot at breakneck speeds, barreling towards Deliora's shoulder before it shattered on contact, making Deliora roar in pain as it held his shoulder, his roars only increasing when Erza jumped into the air, Requipping instantly into her _Lightning Empress Armor_ almost immediately as she charged he magic into the staff, shoot a strong, intense beam of lightning into Deliora's shoulder, making him bellow in pain as he fell to his knees, making everyone smirk until Pisces flashed out of existence, making everyone look to Yukino, surprised to see her on her knees, panting as she shook in exhaustion, sweat literally running down her pale face as her magic container finally emptied itself.

"Welp, time to smash!" Natsu said to Ultear as he rolled his eyes, his muscles clenching as he turned around, worried to see Yukino sitting on the ground, possibly injured while Lucy and Sagittarius knelt down to inspect her, and make sure she is okay. Even Deliora noticed her fall, taking advantage of the few seconds she was sitting there as he channeled light into his mouth before shooting a small, but strong laser towards the girls making everyone worried. Erza quickly requipped into her flight armor and dashing forward while Gray slammed his hands into the ground, causing a magic circle to form underneath the girls as he attempted to shield them, quickly realizing that his barrier would not hold as Deliora's laser beam. smashed into the ground, causing dust to fly

Erza ran forward as fast as possible, attempting to save the two, only to be smashed into the ground by Deliora's left fist that was covered in large, purple spikes. They watched in horror as the laser smashed into the ground, causing dust to fly in the air while Natsu ground his teeth in anger, finding himself responsible for their injuries or pain, as he used his flaming steps to go to the girl's side, glad that he could still hear their steady heartbeat. What he did not expect to see, was Sagittarius spread eagle in front of them, his chest smoking as he fell to the ground before disappearing back into the spirit realm, as he had taken too much damage to continue on.

Natsu grit his teeth in anger when he saw how roughed up both girls were, even though Sagittarius had still taken the brunt of the damage, leaving Yukino's precious white clothes ripped and torn with dirt staining her precious white Cape and Skirt with her keys still tightly grasped in her hands as she shook sporadically. Lucy was only fairing a little better as her leather armor had protected her clothes from gaining any cuts or tears, but that didn't prevent her arms and face from getting scratched or cut as she was thrown across the ground. Natsu simply picked up one girl in each hand before he used his flaming steps to appear behind Ultear, gently placing both girls down before he flashed towards the demon, fury radiating from his body as he glared at the demon before him, made that he had let them get hurt, right under his nose.

"Get, back," Natsu growled out as his _HellFire Flames_ channeled around him, spiraling dozens of feet above the ground making Erza nod as she requipped back into her _Flight Armor,_ before running to gray Gray, and disappearing back towards the others the second she touched his shoulder, before reappearing behind Ultear who had her magic ready beside Gray, while Erza had requipped into her nurse armor, choosing to tend to the injured mages around her while trusting the others to keep him safe, 'Now, I can finally let loose... let's just hope that's enough,' Natsu thought with a sigh as he stared at the demon, noticing quickly that the demon's healing factor was no longer active, whether it was for his stronger defense, or simply due to lack of magic.

Natsu and Deliora stood only a few dozen feet away as they stared at each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. They stood there, watching each other while the rest of the mages simply looked at the _Wizard Saint,_ hoping that he would be able to put the demon down, or at least wear him down to the point the rest could finish him off. They began to run towards each other, the distance between them making it look more like Natsu had jumped towards the demon who swung his hand down to intercept, their fists clashing as a shockwave was sent across the battlefield, as Natsu began to laugh before igniting his whole arm on fist, flames shooting out of his elbow as he applied perhaps even three times as much force, making Deliora's arms struggle to withstand the damage done to him, his legs and buckling as his feet began to dig trenches in the ground beneath him, making Gray watched in shock as he watched the impossible happen once more.

Natsu continued to smirk as he cut the flames off of his arm, being flung back before he flipped mid-air, almost landing face down on the ground as he skidded back, to which he responded by literally digging holes into the ground with the fingers of his right hand before he shot himself forward at blinding speeds, catching Deliora off guard.

" _Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!"_ Natsu yelled as his whole body became encompassed in flames, forming the head and wings of a dragon upon his upper torso as he crashed into Deliora's legs making the demon stumble while the others watched, confused as to how he had planned this far ahead. Once Natsu made contact with the crystals on his legs, he could swear he heard it cracking making him think once more about why he was the only one capable of even touching the demon.

Deliora seemed to have gotten tired of all of this commotion, having had never thought he would awake once more, only this time in a true fight to the death. He slammed his left fist down in an attempt to crush Natsu into the ground before pounding him like you would a nail. Just as Deliora's fist was about to make contact with Natsu's back he flashed out of existence, using his _Flaming Steps_ to quickly and efficiently scale the demon's body for another attack. He jumped up in the air, in front of Deliora's face this time as he called upon his magic.

" _HellFire Dragon's Secret Art; Gates of Hell!"_ Natsu shouted as five, large magic circles layered through Deliora's body, as if they were going through him as they instantly grew in size as they completely Natsu channeled his magic energy. The circle on the bottom turned into an actual Gate, chained closed with an ominous skull lock, until it immediately shot open, shooting out Black fire that continued to grow with size as it passed through each and every Magical circle until Deliora was more than engulfed in flames as he roared in agony, his armor seeming to melt as he roared to the sky. The flames continued to burn as Natsu fell to the ground, landing on shaky feet as he fell to his knees, looking up as he panted, finding himself close to running out, and more annoyed than angry as he stared into the flames, having had never actually used this spell on a demon or creature, as it would continue to burn until it completely devoured not only their body but their soul as it dragged them to the bottom of hell.

"Please tell me this is over... I could really use a nap," Natsu said with a sigh as he stared into the flames as one by one the magical circles continued to die down until only the gate was left open, flames continuing to shoot out and hiding the demon from sight.

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I get that Deliora seemed really weak at how hard it was for him to get out of the ground, but remember that the collapsing sun was meant to emulate the sheer heat, and explosive force as the son explodes. So just remember that type of damage takes time to not only regenerate to a point he could move again, and then try to escape his hole underneath cooled lava! Also, sorry he is a little ooc according to the manga, but I had to make it more, cool(?) somehow right? (I can argue this further but im trying not to fill my chapters with any more _shit.)_

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 _Sorry this wasn't more, But I ran out of time. I do apologize as I completely killed my 4 chapter goal to finish this arc, But im quickly realizing that as long as I put in 100% effort, I could care less on how the story progresses as I don't write a scene for the heck of it, but to rather further another plot, goal, or girl._

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And Onto the Reviews!

Guest 8/27- Thanks! I'm just doing my best. Can any of you believe this story just broke over 400 favorites! It means the world to me! Thank you all!

Natsuharemlover 9/27- Natsu knows nothing of Zeref, yet. but he will soon, hopefully.

Guest 10/27- While your argument of giving new or stronger magics to current villains would help even out the scaling, then it would be changing a lot of the past, something I'd rather let be.


	29. A Mission's End

And Onto the Story!

 **A few minutes ago...**

Ultear watched as Natsu set Yukino and Lucy on the ground behind her gently, letting them rest on the ground before he disappeared in another flash of flames, prompting Ultear to turn around and quickly ran her own inspection of their injuries, honestly surprised they were still alive as they were easily the weakest mages on the island.

'multiple scrapes and cuts, Yukino even has a few burns, but why doesn't Lucy...' Ultear though as she quickly approached the girl while keeping an eyesore on Deliora, as she refused to lose her mother twice in one lifetime, as she wasn't sure she could ever survive that...

'Oh? It seems Natsu is more resourceful than I thought...' Ultear noticed as she kneeled beside the blonde before she looked back at Natsu, surprised at the ease he was fighting with, even though he was furious beyond belief. 'Are... Are those the flames of emotion?' Ultear thought in shock, having had never known a fire mage with such an ability, as they amplify the heat and power of the flames exponentially... 'Zancrow would stand no chance.' Ultear concluded with a nod as she stood up, weirdly curious as to whether Natsu would be able to fight Bluenote.

Her consideration was cut short when Gray and Erza appeared beside her, making her turn to them, only to see both Fairy Tail mages run to the girl's sides, Erza already handing out gauze and a homemade antiseptic, courtesy of Porylusica as they began to clean and wrap the Celestial Mages cuts. Ultear simply watched with an odd curiosity as Erza requipped into her Medical Armor, a sinfully short white lab coat that hugged her curves making Gray almost choke on his own to the while Ultear rolled her eyes, disappointed that her mother died for a pervert.

They continued yes to glance up at Natsu, knowing just how tired, and exhausted he must have been, making Erza hesitate before Requipping the gauze away as she stood up, standing g beside Ultear as they watched, prompting Gray to put his wrap down as well, before standing up, watching as Natsu head-butted Deliora Deliora's legs, the aura of a dragon surround him as Deliora stumbled, before flashing out of the path of Deliora's gargantuan fist, before using his secret arc, making them all gawk as Deliora was burned and soldered within the five gates, watching as Natsu fell to the ground, exhausted as even he watched as one by one the gates began to close...

* * *

...Leaving no sign of Deliora at all.

Erza was the first to run. Forward, Requipping into her flight armor as she ran towards where Deliora had stood, shocked to see a book where Deliora had stood, but she was even more surprised when Natsu had flashed in front of her before falling to his knees, and Requipping the book away.

She looked at him, anger clear on her face until she saw just how pale he was. She sighed as she knelt down before helping him up, ignoring his bumping as Gray ran forward before helping Natsu as well, making him gawk at them when he realized just who was carrying him, having had been so exhausted he had forgotten where he was, as he felt Gray's naturally cold arm helping him stumble and limp towards the others, to notice Ultear staring at him in confusion, having had not understood why Natsu took the risk of feeling extreme magic withdrawal to simply... Do something.

"Where are the demons remains?' Ultear thought skeptically as she raised her recording lacrimas in the air before closing her eyes, her bird's eye view unable of finding any sort of remains. Erza glared when she saw Ultear close her eyes, having a good idea what that lacrimas was, her flight armor also enhancing her vision and hearing so that she would be able to see weapons and people clearly as she flashed around them.

When Ultear's lacrimas returned, she opened her eyes, completely unaffected by Erza's flower as she looked at the pinkette in front of her before turning around and sitting beside her mother, even as she sat on the dry grass she maintained her grace and regal nature as she inspected her mother once more, tears building in her eyes as she looked at her mother, being so close, but so far from where she wanted to be, grateful she was alive, but upset that she still seemed to be in a coma.

Gray and Erza sat Natsu down gently, ignoring his groan of pain as he grasped her chest making Erza shake her head in annoyance as Yuka began to wake up, having had accidentally fallen asleep during the fight, as he had laid there exhausted, years of sleep deprivation from having to supervise and aid in the moon drip leaving him exhausted as he had fought to stay awake, only to lose before he even had a chance to fight.

His head began to twitch as his eyes fluttered, his ears picking up on nothing but the occasional groan of pain and sigh, making his eyes open slowly, confused to see no sign of Deliora other than the destruction he had left in his death. His eyes open further as he attempted to turn his neck, until his neck screamed in pain making him clumsily raise his hand towards his neck, bracing his head as he looked at him, surprised to see that Natsu was the one who was groaning in pain until he began to connect the dots, as he saw the rest of the mages patching eachother up, but most importantly they were calm... 'For the most part... Yuka thought with a wince as he noticed the frown on the Titania face.

Ultear was the first to notice Yuka had woke up, until a flare of magic shot up, prompting everyone to look towards the barracks. Yuka felt the anxiety build in his chest as he was more than familiar with that certain magic signature, prompting him to try, and fail to get up, making Erza flash towards him to assist, as she had finished bandaging the white-haired Celestial Mage.

"What happened to you two?" Erza asked curiously as she set him back down on the ground, only to get a shake of a head as Yuka continued to stare into the origin of the magic flare before he noticed Erza's question.

"Once I found Sherry, we were going to exit through another cave, until it happened. Blistering heat shot out everywhere, melting the stone floor above us. We both did our best to shield ourselves until we slowly began to run out of the air to breathe. It felt as if we were locked in a Sauna, cramped in a small space as we prepared to die. Then, more fire came, but this time, it moves fluidly like it was an entity itself, it seeped through the cracks of the rock above us, before it began to wrap around us, leaving us in a protective bubble. And the. We were lifted upwards, through the hundreds of tonnes of melted rock and rubble until we were on the surface once more... Turns out Natsu had lifted us out with his bare hands... He is truly a force to be reckoned with." Yuka said with a despondent smirk on his face as he continued to stare in the direction of the barracks, knowing that he will be coming, and he wasn't quite sure how he would react.

Unbeknownst to the two mages, Ultear was also listening, her recording lacrimas still on as she took in all the information she could about this man who had changed her life in the matter of a few hours. She looked at the pinkette, knowing he was clearly hiding something, but honestly couldn't care, as she looked down at her mother, knowing she had no right to be suspicious of him after all he did for her.

Erza looked at Natsu with respect and amazement clear in her eyes, looking at the man who was still laying on the ground, holding his chest, and tried her hardest not to be impressed, even though he left so many unanswered questions. 'I do still have questions for him... But I will ask later...' Erza thought as she looked at him before s

Walking towards the slayer, Requipping her _Fire Empress Sword_ before she swung a blade of fire down towards him, which he graciously gobbled up, no longer feeling the pain of an empty magic containers he slowly sat up, smiling at the Scarlet Haired knight, and mistaking the slight reddening on her cheeks as the euphoria for having destroyed another demon of Zeref within a week.

She looked at the two Celestial mages, before remembering that Lucy also needed training.

"Natsu," she called out making him look up at her with his arms behind him, holding his torso up as he relaxed, curiosity clear on his face. 'I request that you help train Lucy as well." Erza stated as she glared at the pinkette, daring him to deny her, as they both knew he wouldn't be able to protect himself in his current state. Natsu stared at her shocked, before a small, but sure smile grew on his face that made Erza's flower diminish.

"Do I have to provide her a roof and food too?" Natsu asked, slightly worried as to what Mira would think k about this, inviting two women to stay in his home without asking her first, as her opinion mattered to him. Erza seemed to think over Natsu's question while everyone looked in, amused at how the wizard saint was being tossed around by an S-Class mage, that was until Natsu's head shot to the side, his ears picking up on the galloping of a horse until he remembered that the Villagers were on the other side of the island, assuming it was them.

He requipped a small flare, before lighting it with his finger as it began to shoot up red smoke, signaling to Happy that the demon was finally dead. Yuka sat there, dread building I. His chest as he watched the edge of the forest, worried about the Cold Emperors reaction, knowing that if he was full in magic they may not survive his rage.

The horse got closer, garnering even Ultear's attention as they watched the edge of the forest. Erza was confused, as she didn't remember, or understand why the villagers would have horses, as this was a far-off island, away from any and all civilization, removing the need of a steed due to the small size of the island, unless...

"Gray!" Erza barked, making him look at her, a brow quirked as he waited for her demand. "You said Lyon had Dynamic Ice-Make? As in living and moving objects?" Erza asked as she requipped into her flight armor, hoping that if she caught him off guard he wouldn't be able to put up a fight,

Gray's eyes shot open at her inference as she watched the treeline, the horse even audible by his ears now as they all watched with bated breath, now knowing who was approaching them. They watched as a batter up, but angry Lyon emerged from the tree line riding a green-tinged horse made of ice. His head shot around, noticing the lack of temple, before his eyes trained onto the mages before him, angry beyond belief that his loyal followers and subjects were lying and resting with the enemy who dared to kill his dreams. His anger made him oblivious to the truth as he failed to recognize neither Ultear nor Ur due to his rage.

"Where is Deliora! Did he escape? Didn't he?! I knew you were all too weak to defeat him! Where is he!" Lyon screamed maniacally as he stared at them, making Yuka cringe as he saw his longtime friend lose his sanity. He looked Lyon in the eyes, surprised to see how red and bloodshot his eyes were, noticing many patches of ice around his body, his usual bandage as he looked around with a crazed expression on his face.

Gray glared at his fellow pupil but found himself unable to be too angry as he turned back, seeing his master's chest rising and falling with her breath, the healthy color returning to her pale skin as she recovered from her decade-long coma. Natsu stood up, wanting to take control as he was the one who leads them through this whole process, for the most part, making him the one responsible for his anger.

"I killed him," Natsu said simply, but firmly as he approached the white-haired ice mage, unknowingly becoming the sole focal point of his rage as he stood in front of the mage, unwavering as he knew he had a very good chance of winning this fight if it came to it.

"No! That's impossible! It was my destiny! My dream! You're lying for the praise, and for the honor aren't you?!" Lyon screamed angrily as he glared at Natsu, his screams u knowingly awaking some of the women around him, while Natsu raised a brow, getting a different intention as to their reasons here, as he had originally believed that they were ensuring nobody else would die to the demon.

Lyon began to lose control of his magic as he stared at the unfaltering stature of the Saint before him, causing his horse to literally Exide with his anger, sending shards of deadly ice everywhere. He was only more incensed when he saw the Saint produce a small wave of heat, completely evaporating the ice making him scream as he lunged towards the pinkette, years of planning and training all for nothing, as he was defeated by _Gray_ of all people before he had a chance to fulfill his destiny and surpass Ur.

Everyone rushed forward when they saw Lyon tackle Natsu to the ground who simply laid there, intending to bare his hate until he understood his anger. Even when he was getting beat he raised his hand, stopping the others from approaching as Lyon continued to vent his anger, his knuckles beginning to bleed as he huffed and puffed, exhausted from this collision of emotions and pain.

They were completely unaware to the other pinkette waking up, too entrances By Natsu's selflessness and control as he let himself get beat up, in hopes of quelling Lyon's pain. Her eyes began to flutter open, stifling a groan as she heard the sound of flesh impacting flesh until she realized what has occurred before. Her eyes shot open as she saw Lyon beating Natsu, who made no effort to defend himself, making her feel upset, as he saved her, he saved Ur, he saved them all.

"It's all your fault! Now I am never going to be able to surpass Ur!" Lyon shouted as he punched Natsu in the face once more, making Yuka and Sherry stare in shock while Gray simply glared at his fellow student, angry beyond belief that she would kill her for something so petty.

Ultear simply stood there, stewing in rage as she looked at the man, killing her mother so that he would be able to surpass her, her magic flared around her as thousands of shards of ice shot toward the silver-haired fool, only to watch in anger as the shards melted before they even had a chance of killing Lyon, having been melted By Natsu who lifted Lyon off his body, showing that Lyon had literally left no mark, no scar of his hits.

He stood up, brushing off his clothes nonchalantly making Erza roll her eyes, as Ultear could have technically hurt him as well. The Scarlet Haired knight turned to the councilwoman, deciding not to reprimand her for technically assaulting Lyon, since he was being a fool, and it was then that she realized Sherry was awake holding Natsu's cloak to her chest as tears slowly running down her cheeks as she looked at the man who she had thought she loved, her heart broken by the fact he didn't care that some of them were injured, only about the fact he wasn't able to kill Deliora.

Ultear finally snapped, no longer able to keep her calm facade up as she looked at the man who tried to murder her mother, and would have succeeded if it wasn't for Natsu...

"You pig! Do you not understand what you have done?!" Ultear screamed as she stormed towards the silver-haired man on the ground, who was no longer stuck in his anger as he looked up at the woman who looked so much like his master, only for every guy to cringe as she slammed her foot into Lyon's pelvis, making him scream in pain as tears ran down his face.

"In trying to surpass my mother, you almost killed her! Did you know you were killing her? Or were you simply too stupid to care?!" Ultear screamed as tears ran down her face as she pulled her foot back, preparing to kick Lyon again. Only to be pulled back, stopped by warm arms wrapping around her midsection as she was embraced by warmth, so comforting that she simply melted into the arms behind her, completely aware of who was behind her as she sighed, before turning around, burying her face in the man's shoulder as he kindly rubbed her back.

"Does it not matter, when your mother is alive once more? You have this chance, and as much as you might hate him for it, remember she sacrificed herself for him, and Gray." Natsu said aloud making Lyon shoot up, ignoring his pain as he looked around, ignoring Gray's glare and Yuka's sad expression as his eyes searched for her, knowing that his dream may not be over yet, but most importantly he was glad she was alive, until the pieces began to come together, making him look back to Ultear, shock clear on his face.

"Ul-tear..." Lyon whispered, his a temporary castrato due to Ultear's violence. Natsu shook his head as he looked at the ice mage on the ground, surprised to see Gray walk forward, before bending over, extending his hand to a man he considered his brother, before brought the man to his feet, amused through all his disappointment as he saw Lyon struggle to stand, a red spot on his torn and ripped pants. He supported Lyon by laying his arm across his shoulders as he walked his fellow pupil towards their master, wanting to prove to Lyon she was alive.

Sherry, Yuka, Erza, and Natsu simply watched as Gray walked Lyon towards Ur, his eyes releasing unshed tears when he finally saw her Lyon on the ground, wearing simple garments, but most importantly she was alive... And somehow, he never even noticed his longtime friend sitting not even four feet away, watching with a broken heart as she looked at the man who brought them together under false pretenses, a man she had begun to lose confidence, strength, and leadership as he allowed them their revenge, their closure, and what. 'If they never came... Would he have allowed us to aid him in this fight?' Sherry though with a heavy heart as she looked at Lyon, her heartbreaking further because he never once thought about her, or Yuka, or even Tobi, and the fact the only thing he was worried about was where the damned demon had gone.

"How..." Lyon choked out as he fell to his knees, his whole world crashing down as his dream was replaced, no longer needing to surpass her, as now he can grow with her, not having to compare her to his memory, as that is how he was deciding to honor her death.

"Flame Brain over there isn't a saint for nothing, but we had to repair the iced shell from years of moon drip, then Natsu removed the properties of iced shell... Did- did I not make her body properly?" Gray whispered, knowing that beside him, Lyon was the last person to see her. He was relieved when he saw Lyon nod his head silently, his breathy pants being the only sounds as they stared at the woman who was now truly alive for the first time in a decade. He felt even worse when he realized that if not for him, the chances of reviving her would have been much higher.

He looked at Ur once last time before standing on his own, limping as he approached Natsu and Ultear, who were no longer in an embrace, but standing a couple feet apart as she kept her eyes on Lyon, unable him after all of this.

"You... You have the right to my life, Ultear Milkovich. My life is in your hands for my great sin against you," Lyon said as he fell to his knees before her, making Erza sigh as she prepared to intervene, unaware as to whether or not Ultear would kill him, putting her hand on her sword as they all watched, curious as to what she would do.

Ultear simply shook her head, even though she was mad at him right now, she wasn't going to kill him, she didn't need to kill anymore. She used her ice magic, forming a sword in her hands. It was pink, with a rose for a guard and iced thorns placed so that it was a better grip, the blade of the sword was engraved with throned vines climbing the flat of the blade to a rose at the tip. She raised the sword making Erza begin to pull her sword out of her scabbard, only to halt as it was stuck in place, and when she went to requip a sword her hand was encased in a blue ball of ice, restricting her from being able to remove her sword. She glared at Gray, mad that he believed his fellow student deserves death, only to watch as he shook his head, pointing to the two.

Ultear had stabbed the sword into the ground, mere millimeters from slicing his neck. He looked up at her, co fused as to why she would do that until he saw the look on her face, a face that had seen too much pain, suffered far too much.

"Nobody has to die today, repent but be aware, there are charges for attempted murder..." Ultear said making Erza's eyes shoot open in shock, until she sighed in agreement, knowing that she needed time to sort out his life. Both Sherry and Yuka stared at their friend, torn that he would have to spend time in jail, until the saw the safe smile on his face, realizing that this was a step he had to take to become a better person, to finally let go of all his anger and accept reality, because he had given up on Ur, having had believed there to be no way to save her.

"He looked at Ultear and then to Natsu, who stood arms reach away from Ultear, he then turned around, seeing Yukino and Lucy lying on the ground, injured but otherwise alright. He even saw Gray with his arms crossed, and Erza who had shattered the ice around her hand, releasing her sword as she stared at him. And then he saw Sherry, he tried her in the eyes, attempting to convey his emotions only to watch as she turned away from him. He looked at the ground before him before looking towards Natsu.

"Thank you," he whispered as he watched Natsu nod in acceptance, and then he requipped a pair of magic cancelling handcuffs as he approached Lyon, watching as he stood up and put his arms behind his back, allowing Natsu to cuff him as he stood there's the only sounds being of the crisp metal, the gears turning as the cuffs tightened.

Natsu's head shot up, making everyone look to the sky as they saw Happy divebombing from the sky with an injured, but otherwise alright Tobi flying down, before resting the dog man on the ground. He looked up at his father figure, another huge smile on his face as he sped into Natsu, wrapping his tiny arms around his father while Natsu squeezed his little blue buddy into his chest, smiling and laughing as he heard Happy's rambles.

Yuka crawled forward,.motioning for Sherry to stay put while Lyon simply stood there with his head down, his mine torn between guilt and pain, anger and sadness as he found himself unable to look at his friends, having had even acquired a sleeping serum so that he would have been able to fight Deliora on his own. Yuka stopped beside Tobi, unwrapping his shoulder to see the extent of the damage while Sherry watched with her heart in her throat. She watched as Yuka sighed in relief, finding his shoulder simply being relocated, with the cloth and wrapping for support so that it healed properly.

They smiled as they watched the small, but heartwarming reunion as they hugged, their love for each other clear as day when they let go, smiling ear to ear as Happy sat on Natsu's shoulder, rambling off a hundred questions.

"Whoa! What happened to the temple! Where's Deliora! Who's that! Did you destroy the moon yet!" Happy shot off at a rapid pace making Natsu laugh until he heard the last part, the Fairy tail mages remembering the part where they accepted both quests. He looked towards Erza, curious when she quirked a brow until he realized she may not have understood Happy's max speed rambling.

"So, ready to destroy the moon?!" Natsu cheered, excitement clear upon his face as Yuka, Sherry, and Lyon stared at him worried as they were partially sure he was capable of such a thing. Erza Sony laughed while Gray smiled, having had completely forgot about their secondary mission as they were so focused on Ur and Deliora.

"You-you're not seriously considering destroying the moon, right?" Sherry asked hesitantly, her voice but a mere whisper, but everyone heard it. Natsu just laughed harder making Sherry pout, believing he was making fun of her before he looked her in the eyes.

"You are aware of the villager's problem, right? The fumes from the Moon Drip ceremony solidified into a glass film over the island, causing the moon to appear purple." Natsu explained making everyone look up, noticing the cracks already present in the film from all the fights from today.

"Hey Erza, mind giving me a light?" Natsu asked as he requipped a strange glowing lacrimas, unlike anything they had seen before, except Ultear. She stared at his hand in shock, confused as to how he would even be able to get his hands on something like that, as they were restricted, and extremely rare. It was about the size of a large Tankard, the outside of the lacrimas being an ambered course crystal with purple, yellow, black, blue, green and white energies swirling around inside it, almost as if they were battling for dominance.

"Natsu Dragneel! How do you have that?! No! Give it to me!" Ultear yelled as she watched Natsu walk into the center of the temple while Erza requipped her Fire Empress Sword, trusting that Natsu wasn't doing anything too crazy as she watched the councilwoman scold him like an angry parent Natsu simply laughed as he reached the centre of the battleground, turning to them with a smirk on his face as he simply stared at them, which it served to infuriate them more.

"You! Urgh! Do you have any idea what you're doing? That could kill you?!" Ultear screamed as she watched him, making a somber look appear on Natsu's face as he looked at the woman, realizing that she simply cared, in her own weird way.

"Yep, well, for the most part..." Natsu said, trading off into a mutter making Ultear throw her hands up in the air, frustration clear on her face as everyone looked on, confused since they just met, and yet they were acting as if they've known each other for years. Erza continued to look between them before noticing the look on the pinkettes face, realizing she should probably trust him on this, especially after everything that's happened. She channeled her magic around her sword, causing fire to swirl around the blade only to watch as he gestured for her to stay back, which did nothing to calm everyone's minds.

" _Flame Strike!"_ Erza cried out as she pointed the tip of her sword towards her sky, shooting a ball of fire into the clouds. Natsu held the lacrimas over his head, clasping it firmly in his right hand as he closed his eyes, preparing to control the flames around him. Everyone watched as a large ball of fire came crashing down, almost as if Natsu was being smitten by a god as it comes tinged to gain momentum, accelerating to its terminal velocity before it smashed into Natsu, causing a large explosion.

Everyone watched in shock as, within the matter of half a second, a huge, deadly wave of fire shot towards them. Gray fell into his Ice-Make stance in an attempt to protect them, only to watch in shock as the flames began to get sucked in, spiraling towards the clouds as they could hear a sucking sound, signaling Natsu replenishing his energy. They watched for a minute as the flames began to get sucked down into its center point, showing Natsu standing there, the broken amber in his hands as red scales trailed up his arms, onto his face, and down his neck. They stared at him as he stood there, his ski. Healthier than ever as he looked at them before he cheered aloud with a gravelly, deeper tone making Happy cheer as he flew towards him as he flew around his father figure excitedly, while Ultear sighed, relieving her stress as she saw he was able to control the explosion.

Erza simply stared at him, shocked, as there was no way her strike was able to produce such an explosion, until she noticed that the amber in his hands was broken, making her grit her teeth as she realized what happened, even if some of the specifics were unclear. The others stared at the pinkette, a close sweat rolling down their cheeks as they realized just how close they were to being charred and toasted, with nothing left to be healed or even recognized.

"Natsu! I have had enough of all these secrets, and unanswered questions! what that was, or so help me Mavis even Mira won't love what is left when I'm done with you!" Erza yelled, angry that he had simply abused her trust like that, almost killing them all in the process, and it would have been her fault.

"That wouldn't work too well for you," Natsu said as he practically teleported to her side, but this time he never even used his flaming steps, it never even looked like he moved a muscle, his posture the same as he stood beside her, the moonlight reflecting eerily off the scales on his arms. "This is the strongest form of Dragon Slaying magic, Dragon Force. I now hold the true power of the dragons in my claws, I doubt even Makarov or Gildarts could stand up to me as I am now, I could probably give even God Serena a run for his money in this state. My magic amplified a tenfold as my skin has strengthened into the strongest substance on earth, a dragon's scales." Natsu said making everyone look at him in shock, as he just claimed that he was the strongest mages on the continent, but the worst part is that it was believable.

Ultear was shocked as she stared at him, having a more in-depth understanding of Dragon Force than the other mages, curious as to how he would stand against Acnologia, or even his father as he stood there, power literally wafting off of him, which made them feel weak to their knees and pale as they struggled to stand, before it was dispelled, Natsu having had taken pity on the mages around them as he pulled his magic back in, making a seal glow in his heart before disappearing once more.

"And for your information, it's called and Ether charge, it's a lacrimas containing pure ether about, but what makes it so special is that it conforms to the magic it interacts with, and in this case the increase of fire magic allowed Fire to take over, conforming the other magic to its will, creating the explosion you saw earlier," Natsu explained making everyone but Ultear's eyes shoot open, having had already been aware of it as the others watched shocked as to how he was even able to get his hands on such a thing.

"If it gave you so much magic, why didn't you use it earlier? That could have done some serious damage to Deliora?!" Gray asked angrily as they looked at the injured mages around them, six on the ground, passed out or unable to walk or even stand, leaving only a mere five of them still standing, two of which weren't even part of the fight.

"Well, honestly? I forgot." Natsu said sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head everyone looks at him confused as to how someone renowned for their strength could be so forgetful, especially since he seemed to have complete control over the dragon force.

"But, since Yuka's wave magic had little to no effect upon Deliora, we honestly have no idea where it's magic stemmed from, so to introduce so much of a new magic like that could have been catastrophic," Ultear interjected, making everyone turn to her, as she cemented why she was part of the magic council, even at such a young age, having such an innate understanding of not only magic but how they interact with eachother. Natsu nodded his head, agreeing, even though some voice in the back of his head argued that his HellFire Flames had properties to the wave magic, consuming rather than dispelling, but for some reason, his worked.

"Well, let's go give those villagers a show they'll never forget," Natsu said as he requipped a gold key, but it had a black snake wrapping around it, making everyone look in shock as they were seeing his second Celestial Spirit of the day, making them curious as to why he planned to use it, instead of during the fight earlier.

"Open, Gate of the Thirteenth Spirit! Opichius the Snake charmer!" Natsu chanted as a magic circle formed under him that seemed to draw in all the shadows and darkness around them, causing a dark purple haze to surround them like a fog as the magic circle continued to grow.

They were confused, as there were only supposed to be twelve Zodiac Spirits, comprised of light, but here he was, summoning a thirteenth, that seemed to thrive off the dark as the haze continued to thicken. They heard the iconic sound of a doorbell as the magic circle under Natsu's feet became a black and purple swirling portal, from which a giant snake shot out, with Natsu riding its head as it soared towards the sky, having dark purple scales layering over its black body.

Opichius seemed to be even larger than Pisces, it's body about a foot or two thicker and maybe six feet longer as it pulled its tail out of the circle, watching as it closed in a puff of smoke as it relates around, flying back towards them as Natsu stood on its head as they flipped around, becoming parallel to the ground as it stopped in front of the gawking mages before him.

Opichius seemed to be a mixture between bionic and organic, it scales appearing to be large metal plates, rather than actual snake scales. there seemed to be a cut out in every scale, of a cubically drawn tree, two squares shifted into diamonds, stacked up on eachother with a trunk on the bottom corner. Opichius eyes glowed a sickly pink while its tongue slithered out, showing that it was, in fact, bionic, with small little barbs on it. Opichius had a pair of large, massive vangs sprouting from its top jaw, standing at least three feet long as a purple venom dripped off, burning upon impact with the ground. She had very small, barely visible nostrils on its nose, making it appear as if it was an actual breathing creature, with dark motifs upon its forehead. The bottom part of Opichius jaw was obviously bionic, having its chin covered in metal plates, while instead of a jaw bone, she had three piston like objects on each side, which was only a small testament to its bite strength. The is a massive blade on the bottom of the snake's jaw, sporting jagged and deadly edges curving towards the rest of her body, secured by a protrusion, fixing it in place.

He jumped off of the Snakeshead, landing soundly on the ground below him making them snap out of their respective shock while Happy flew towards the snake, fluttering around its head, almost as if he was talking to the snake making Sherry stare at Natsu with hearts in her eyes, seeing that Natsu clearly has more love for creatures than Lyon ever did, making her curious as to where Anjelica ran off to.

"Erza, do you have some blankets and rope?" Natsu asked as he walked towards Sherry, picking her up gently as he approached Opichius who lowered her head towards the ground, allowing Natsu to jump on before safely placing her on the snakes back somehow unaware of the woman's watching as Opichius turned her head, inspecting the blushing pink haired girl on her back before looking at the others.

Erza simply requipped some rope and blankets, even an old tent that she folded up as padding for them to lie on as they went towards the villagers, which would allow them to see them dispel the curse, so that they could properly, without a doubt complete the quest, without having to destroy the moon. And then they went, with Happy flying rope round Opichius body, giving them a kind of stirrup to hold onto as they rode the ancient snake, feeling excitement bubbling as they prepared for a once in a lifetime experience.

Once everyone was tied down, or at least in a point where they could hold on, Natsu jumped onto Opichius head, giving her a rub as he prompted her to move, easily maneuvering through the trees as they slithered away from the place of battle,.towards the village where they could rest up and get everyone the proper attention they required, and hopefully some food to eat.

The mages that were awake watched in amazement, as they covered dozens of feet within seconds, the world flashing by around them, puddles, fallen trees, leaves and flowers all mixed together into what appeared to be a painting, as beautiful as a sunset as the stopped in front of the village gates, noticing the area at which they had fought Tobi.

Natsu whistled as he looked around, noticing the crater in the ground, and with a little bit of deductive reasoning, he realized who caused such carnage. 'Daamn... Looks like they do make a great team.' Natsu thought as he saw the crater from where Polaris clipped the dog man's shoulder, putting two and two together.

Unfortunately, the village watchmen had heard their approach, exiting their watchtowers as they walked across the bridge over the door, shocked to see the Wizard Saint, standing on the head of a huge serpent, causing them to scream in fright, afraid for their lives as the snakes eyes trained on them, it's tongue slithering out mere inches away from them.

Their screams brought everyone out of their homes, carrying things from brooms to rolling pins as they prepared and protect their village, having had been scared of all magic being thrown around, having had felt it even from the other side of the islands as a particular heatwave or blast of cold found its way under their clothes.

They never expected to see the wizard saint, the same one who played with their children, standing atop a giant serpent, holding his ears, scaring the children as it seemed to be attempting to eat the guardsmen, a single child running through the crowd, afraid for their father as their mother chased after them, not wanting their child to get anywhere near that monstrosity.

Unbeknownst to the everyone, the screams of the watchmen at such a close interval had caused Lucy to stir in her sleep, her muscles sore due to her awkward mounting on Opichius' body as her eyes began to flutter, signaling her inevitable awakening.

By now the watchmen had stopped screaming, simply frozen in place as the snake co tours to watch them, too close for comfort as they held their hands, Palms out in an attempt to save their lives. The only sounds could be the hobbling of Moka as he approached the crowd, seeing the Saint, and becoming worried, as they had all hope he would be able to end their years-long nightmare.

"Don't you touch my daddy, you big meanie!" The kid yelled as he ran to the gates, staring up at the giant snake he feared was going to kill what seemed to be his father, only to be caught by his mother before he could go any further.

"Calm down young one! Saint Dragneel, what on earth happened over there? I hope you can explain this as we could feel the island shake, even from over here!" Moka cried out as the crowd of villagers parted before him, showing their respect for their wise leader as he went forward to deal with the mage. Natsu took his hands off of his ears, noticing the others climbing forward, and trying their best not to anger Opichius since she did just lower herself to being a method of transportation.

"I can, in fact, Moka, you had but another Demon hiding on this island," Natsu announced as Opichius pulled her head back, raising Natsu above the others allowing the watchmen to quickly bolt away, after opening the door so that Moka would be able to talk to the Wizard Saint, without having to strain his neck. The villagers gasped when they heard his statement, confused as to who, or what had been hiding on their island for so long, while Moka simply glared at Natsu, unsure as to this demon's relevance to their curse.

"Also, we have not only found the culprit behind the curse and, I can even break it, right now. But," Natsu said, only to be cut off by the cheering of the villagers below them, as they began to dance, excited beyond belief that their lives would now be able to be without fear and pain and that they could be happy once more. Natsu simply smiled as he put an index finger in each ear in an attempt to protect his hearing while Erza and Gray jumped up behind him, joining him on Opichius head while Moka was yelling at the villagers, trying to calm them so that Natsu could finish his statement.

"Quiet Down! I will have order!" Moka shouted as he slammed the tip of his cane on the ground, sending a small shockwave throughout the village, making the villagers look at him in shock while he sighed before turning to the Fairy Tail Mages before him, trying to keep a calm facade up and hide his excitement within himself. 'Oh, what I want to do to the person who made us suffer! We lost people, good people to the curse... I even... had to kill my own son...' Moka thought as a lone tear ran down his disfigured face, before anger grew within him, his mind calling for vengeance while his heart called for repentance.

"But, I do ask that we get supplies for our wounded, and food for our hungry," Erza concluded, her hands on her hips as she stared down at the villagers, having had figured out the curse herself, especially once Natsu had told them of some type of lens surrounding the island. The villagers quickly ran, gathering food and medicine from within their homes, while Opichius lied her head on the ground, as the others jumped off, some of the villagers walking forward, helping them carefully unload the unconscious passengers. Gray was surprised that when he was helping Lucy off, she shifted in his arms, making him worry as he looked down, surprised to see her eyes fluttering open before she screamed in shock, confused as to why a shirtless Gray was holding her. He almost dropped her, if it had not been for Erza who had caught her, glaring at Gray while Happy laughed, amused at the buxom blonde's reaction.

When one of the villagers went to go help Ur off of Opichius, Ultear literally glared at them, striking fear in their hearts causing them to back away, before running back into the village, which did not go unnoticed by her fellow mages. Natsu approached her, after having had helped Sherry and Yukino down, resting them on blankets that the villagers had set up on the ground, while Erza began to check Yukino's injuries as Gray began to fill in the rest, answering any questions as to what went down. Moka was overlooking his villagers, instructing them on where to set up the spit for boar while he sent one of his watchmen to go and fetch the village healer.

Natsu walked over to Ultear, sighing as he jumped up onto Opichius back without any extra effort, making the children gasp in awe, as they were sat on the ground, supervised by a few of the parents while the rest went about their respective jobs.

"You didn't have to scare him to death, he was only trying to help..." Natsu said as he looked the councilwoman in the eyes, slightly surprised to see the sheepish look on her face as she wrapped her arms around her chest, slightly annoyed at herself since they were only trying to help, but she was so worried about her mother she could care less, as she hasn't even moved at all yet.

"My mother... has been gone for so long, I... I just can't let someone I don't trust carry her, I cannot fail her again." Ultear said as she looked him in the eyes, making him nod, accepting her answer as he would probably do the same, insist on taking care of his loved ones himself, unable to trust anyone else to do the job properly.

"Do you trust me?" Natsu asked as he looked her in the eyes, surprised when he saw her slightly nod her head, before smiling softly as he knelt down, untying Ur from her harness to the snake charmer before gently picking her up, stepping off the snake only for his foot to land on a staircase made completely out of fire, making the children gasp in amazement when they saw that everytime he stepped down, another stair appeared. Ultear smiled when she saw the extra care he was putting in, glad that she had taken the risk to talk to him, rather than disappearing after he unmasked her.

She followed him down, before sitting beside her mother when he laid her down on one of the pallets provided, before returning back to Opichius, and rubbing her head gently, asking if there was anyone else on her back before she flew into the sky, a similar black swirling portal opening up in the ground before she shot through it, flying down through the tunnel before completely disappearing, while all the children looked on wide-eyed, shocked as the parents looked at their children, amused at their amazement.

Moka approached Natsu once everything had been organized, curious as to when they would finally break the curse, especially since he had noticed the silver-haired man in handcuffs, standing near Gray, Yuka, Sherry, Lucy and Happy as they all talked about what had happened, before talking about their different experiences, and how Deliora had ruined their lives while the others listened, as Gray, Yuka and Sherry all found common ground through pain.

"Saint Dragneel, you had mentioned you had found the person behind all our suffering... Is it that man?" Moka asked as he pointed to Lyon with his cane, making Natsu look at them while everyone stopped, Moka's voice having carried over conversations through the silence, making everyone stare at Lyon, the villagers feeling anger build while the mages felt worried, as they wouldn't be able to safely stop, or hold off the villagers if they had chosen to get vengeance upon him.

Natsu looked to Erza, and then Ultear, unsure as to what he should say, his first instinct was to be honest but was left unsure since diplomacy has never been his strong point. Erza made to approach Moka, only to be stopped by Ultear as she gracefully stood up, her beauty attracting everyone's eyes as she approached Moka, slightly swaying her hips as she continued to draw everyone's attention. Erza rolled her eyes at Ultear's performance, even if it was admittedly very successful at dissuading any possibly fights.

"Greetings, Chief Moka... I am Ultear Milkovich, A member of the magic council. In fact, I was the one who sent the emergency quest to Fairy Tail." Ultear introduced, making everyone gasp in shock at the presence on their island. She extended her hand to Moka, who shakily returned the gesture, grasping her hand with his demonic hand and giving it a shake, surprised that she showed no surprised or shock at his disfigurement.

"I am Moka, chief of the Galuna Tribe... I ask again, is that the man, responsible for all our suffering." Moka asked again, but this time it was only a statement, Natsu's silence from earlier being an easy tell while everyone looked between Moka and Lyon, it almost being like a tennis match as they watched, worried as to what would happen next.

"It is, and for his crimes he will be tried under the council, for trying to resurrect a Demon of Zeref," Ultear replied smoothly, making everyone gasp once more while Happy giggled, finding it almost too cliche while Lucy sighed, just glad that everything was over, until she remembered that they still had to break the curse. Lyon's eyes were locked on the ground, finding himself unable to look at any of the villagers or even mages around him, as he was not only responsible for their injuries, but their pain, and any trauma after that.

"Oh, so you are completely aware of the villagers we lost to the curse?" Moka asked, his voice hard as steel while every mage present stared at him in shock, as he never mentioned that the curse had caused a sickness or virus. When Lyon heard him, he just felt even worse, as he could have killed women or even children in his futile venture of surpassing his master. Natsu opened his mouth, about to ask why they were not informed of this earlier until Ultear raised her left hand, gesturing him to stop while she looked at the chief, annoyed that he was trying to strong arm the mages into giving Lyon to them.

"No, but what we are aware of, is that the curse had begun to drive some of your villagers crazy. So crazy that they went out of control, and when you tried to lock them up the only began to hurt themselves in an attempt to break free. It got to the point you had to put some of them down. This is not that man's doing, as you could have contacted for help, rather than killing your own son." Ultear said aloud making the villagers look at the ground, having had tried to forget the people they had lost to the curse, while Moka swung his staff at Ultear, angry that she had brought his son Bobo into this, only to watch in shock as Natsu caught the staff in his hand, crushing it into dust in his fist as he glared at Moka, daring him to even attempt striking her again. The Fairy Tail Mages began looking around, finding her statement confirmed upon the faces of the villagers around them, as they had a moment of silence, respecting their fallen family.

Moka looked at the ground, ashamed that the council was aware of the steps that had taken to protect the village. he let go of the last parts of his splintering shaft, hearing it fall to the ground in the silence that encompassed everyone around them.

"However, our job is not done," Natsu said, breaking the silence and drawing everyone's attention to himself as Erza, and Gray got to their feet, approaching Natsu as they stood behind him, prepared to interrogate the villagers before the broke the curse, as knowledge of both the barracks, and the temple would have been very useful, saving them not only time but possibly even the temple itself, if they had only been aware of everything on the island.

"During our quest to annihilate the Demon from the book of Zeref, we came across a temple, from which a ceremony could be held, using the strength of the moon to break any spell. We also came across a barracks, in which the cultists of the temple could reside between ceremonies. Why were we not informed of this before we left this morning?" Erza asked aloud, glaring at everyone but the children as she waited for some sort of answer, only to find none. She turned to Moka, her glare intensifying, prompting him to speak.

"We-... We were aware of the temple, we discovered it when a year ago when we went to investigate the purple light in the mountains..." Moka said softly making Gray and Lucy look at him weirdly, as he had lived here his entire life, and only recently discovered it?

"It is part of our villages code, to never venture too far, it was the ruling of our forefathers, after a child had gone to play, and died of starvation... as he had been lost in the woods, before he was brutally attacked, ripped apart by the wildlife, with tears on his face," Moka said as he looked at the ground, making the Fairy Tail mages understand, to a certain degree, but in larger parties, or even with a map...

"Then why did you not inform us? Important time was wasted, combing through the jungle... Lives could have been lost, your entire village could have died..." Erza questioned making Ultear sigh, as this seemed more like an interrogation than a conversation. Surprisingly it wasn't Moka who replied, but a young, fit woman who emerged from the crowd, bearing no sign of the curse's effect at all.

"You would not have believed them, as I had not. Every time Moka would send a search party to the temple, once they got within twenty feet they would suddenly black out, only to wake up on the edge of the village." She said as she walked towards them, making Happy fly over as he said hi to his first friend on the island. She seemed to be wearing a brown cloak, comprised of animal skins. Her dark green, hair was tied up into a ponytail on at the back of her head. Her face clean and smooth with a few freckles dotting her nose, with wise brown eyes, made of the most succulent chocolate. She had on a simple, but tight black tank top under her cloak which went to emphasize her athletic figure, with plain brown trousers adorning her legs.

Everyone looked at her, confused as to why she, part of the village had not suffered as the others had.

"My name is Shiko Higoshi... When The curse first struck, three years ago... Moka had requested I come to his village, and try and cure the curse. These past years, I have studied the curse and was unable to cure it, leaving me to believe that it was no disease or infection. I came to enjoy my stay here until my focus became trying to help those, who lost their minds to the curse." She explained as she hugged the little blue cate, before approaching the mages on the ground, unwrapping the bandages making Erza open her mouth before Happy flew over.

"She helped me with Tobi earlier, she's one of the village healers." Happy whispered making Erza close her mouth before turning to Natsu, both of them coming to the same conclusion, before they turned to the others, surprised to see Shiko's hands engulfed in a bright _ magic, as she began to methodically heal the burns on Yukino's body, making her stir as she began to wake up.

She was shocked, to see a stranger leaning over her, hands engulfed in _ magic, hovering over her body making her shriek, before Happy flew forth, making her calm down as she noticed her body began to feel better, no longer feeling the pain from Deliora's blast, as the sheer force of it felt like her bones cracked, even with Sagittarius taking the brunt of the hit.

"Hello, my name is Shiko, I'm a healer here on Galuna Island. If you give me a second, I should be able to finish patching you up," She said, not even looking Yukino in the eyes as she continued focusing on her magic, making everyone watch as the last burns and blisters receded into Yukino's skin, before Shiko stood up, approaching Ur, shocked to see her in some sort of comatose state, but without any signs of muscular atrophy, or any signs of injury at all.

Natsu walked over to Yukino, kneeling down at her side as he checked on his new apprentice's well being, while Moka opened his mouth to object, his patience running thin since all he wants, is for this bloody curse to be over. He was about to yell, until he noticed Gray's hand on his shoulder, daring him to prevent Shiko from checking over his Master, because even if Natsu is capable of healing her, Shiko has studied medicine and health, therefore enabling her to give a proper prognosis on Ur's state of health. Moka then promptly closed his mouth, knowing that the health of the mages before him, is more important since the moon has already fallen, giving them time before they revert back.

"How in the Hell..." Shiko muttered as she ran her magic encased hands an inch above Ur's body, unsure as to why she was unconscious as her body was in perfect condition as if she had been training for months, getting into peeking physical condition before somehow falling into unending sleep. After a few more minutes of trying to diagnose Ur's condition or the cause of her condition, she looked up to the mages, needing more information as to how she entered this state.

Natsu extended his hand to Yukino, before helping her up, walking her over to the other unconscious mages while Lucy shifted to the side on her pallet, indicating with her hand where she offers Yukino to sit. Natsu gently lowered her down, knowing her head may still be rushing after such a hit before she sat beside Lucy. He turned to Gray, motioning him over to the rest as he stood beside Natsu, curious as to why he was called upon. Natsu gestured to Gray to wait a second before he turned around addressing the village.

"Both me and Erza both know how to resolve the curse, so, I propose a challenge," Natsu said as he turned towards the non-S-Class mages, making everyone look at him curiously while Erza simply shook her head in amusement, already knowing what he was going to propose.

"We will give these three, five minutes, to figure out a way to break the curse, using the information we have gathered. At the end of the five minutes, they will then start to explain the curse." Natsu called out making some of the villagers annoyed, and even a little nervous as they had waited three years for this, and now they had to wait, five, more, minutes.

The three mages began to talk, trying to work out the curse at Gray continued to look up at the sky, the same point at which their attacks had affected the barrier, causing cracks in the film.

Natsu then walked towards Shiko, intent on explaining what the situation was as Ultear walked over as well because any information about her mothers well being was important to her.

"I assume you have some kind of explanation as to how 'this' happened?" Shiko asked rhetorically as she gestured to the sleeping Ur, making Natsu chuckle as he knelt beside her, engulfing his hand in green flames making her worried until he tapped his right index finger on her temple, engulfing her whole body in green flames, making Natsu concentrate before he removed his hands, the flames dispelled as he looked at her, annoyed that it had no effect.

"Hey! Want to tell me what the hell you're doing? And while you're at it, who the hell are you?" Shiko asked, annoyed that he had completely disregarded her question before introducing his unknown magic into this woman's body. She then turned to Ultear, noticing the Council Woman's presence before turning back to the patient, noticing similarities between the two women, facial structure, hair color, body type, they were even the exact same height.

Natsu had noticed Shiko's observation, before deciding he should probably answer her question...

"I'm Natsu Dragneel, S-Class Mage from Fairy Tail," Natsu introduced as he extended his right hand out to Shiko, who clasped his hand firmly, before turning to Ultear, extending her hand, "And you?" She asked.

"I am Ultear Milkovich, of the magic council... Can you please tell me what's wrong with my mother?" Ultear asked as she looked into Shiko's eyes, practically falling to her knees as she looked at her mother, the pain of not know seeming to be far worse than when she had believed her dead, as pretty much nothing had changed, other than an increase of hope, which only made it much, much harder.

"Honestly? Nothing, which is why I need answers," Shiko replied as she turned to glare at Natsu, who simply returned her gaze with a smirk, which only served to infuriate her further.

"What if I were to tell you, that this morning, she was a block of ice..." Natsu trailed off, making Shiko's eyes shoot open in shock before turning to Ultear, noticing the honesty in their eyes, and finding herself even more gobsmacked at the fact she was now, perfectly healthy.

 **Time Skip**

By the end of Natsu, Ultear's, and Erza's explanation, the Scarlet Haired knight not trusting Natsu to include every important detail had walked over, joining them. Shiko was beyond shocked, as she looked at the mages around her, feeling a deep respect for Natsu, even though he seemed to be quite dense at some points, learning that he was less of a jackass and more of a fool. Moka approached them, signaling that the five minutes were up, so they could finally be rid of this curse, and return to their natural forms...

The S-Class Mages of Fairy Tail stood up, before gesturing to the three mages in question, making them step forward.

"So, we figured out most everything, and we know how to break the curse, but, we still can't figure out a way they couldn't enter the temple," Gray started off with a sigh as he looked at them, making the villagers cheer, as, after all this time, they could care less, especially since the temple no longer stands, not that they knew that of course.

"First off, I want you all to look up, at the moon," Lucy said as everyone did what she asked, the villagers finding nothing out of place, but the mages noticed the small cracks in the film, which only went to prove that there was, in fact a dome surrounding the island.

"Nope, over there!" Yukino cried as she points to the cracks, making the villagers turn their heads, before one by one, a few of them began to notice the cracks in the film, but they had mistaken it for the moon was breaking, making them cheer in joy as the Fairy Tail Mages once again achieved the impossible. Shiko stared in shock, not believed that the moon was in fact shattered, but was unable to see the film due to the lack of sunlight, making her look at the mages around her, confused since she obviously didn't have all the information.

"What you might not have known, was that during the past three years, Lyon and his band of cultists..." Gray started off, only to stare in the direction of the temple, shocked as he had completely forgotten about them, which could only mean that they too, perished in the fire. Everyone looked at Gray, confused until they realized that the cultists were uncounted for, before Yukino, surprisingly, decided to finish his statement.

"... were conducting a Ceremony called _Moon Drip_ , which uses the power of the moon, channeling it to break any seal or spell. And they happened to use it, to release the Demon of Zeref, in the hopes that they would be able to kill it, ridding it from the face of the earth..." Yukino explained making the villagers look at Lyon, confused as to why he would take such a risk until they realized if he failed, they would have been in the crossfire next. It seemed that Moka knew his subordinates quite well, as he had shut them up with a glare before they could even begin to protest.

"...So that they could enact revenge, on the demon that had destroyed their homes, and torn apart families on its rampage through the Northen Continent, leaving children alone and scared with no way to survive. Some of those children, are standing before you today." Gray finished making the villagers lose some of their anger, as they could understand how painful it would be to be alone like that, with no knowledge of how to get anywhere in the world, unless you were aided, but the problem is, who could there have been to help, if the demon had killed everyone?

"That same Ceremony that released the Demon, is the one that had caused this curse on the island, as three years ago was the first time _Moon Drip_ was active, which coincides with the time period of your suffering," Lucy explained making everyone glare at Lyon, unaware that three of his accomplices were sitting not even a metre away.

"The cracks you see in the sky? Is not the moon breaking, but in fact, the effects of our earlier battles, having had broken the hardened, gaseous dome around the Island, which we will break, right now." Yukino explained before looking towards Natsu, feeling warmth grow in her chest at the happy smile on his face before she turned to the others, surprised to see that Even Erza had a small smirk on her face.

"Are we right? or are we right?!" Gray cheered as he looked at his superiors, even if he wouldn't admit it. He was glad to see that Erza nodded in response, meaning that they were correct, even if they hadn't solved why the villagers were unable to approach the temple.

"So, who thinks they can break that bubble?" Natsu asked with a smirk on his face while Shiko looked at the mages around her, shocked that they had deduced the solution in less than a day, whilst it had taken her more than three years of research, with no results. Both Yukino and Lucy turned to Gray, as they were either too tired, unable to break the barrier, since Sagittarius was down for the count after blocking Deliora's attack.

Gray sighed as he began to walk forward, narrowing his eyes as he attempted to see the diameter of the dome, before looking around him, seeing if there were any possible height boosts he could get from climbing a tower, or tree. He lowered into his ice make stance, his magic flaring around him as an icy wind began to pick up as a blue magic circle formed under his feet, while everyone, including the children, watched in anticipation as they waited for their pain to finally be over.

" _Ice Make; Tower!"_ Gray shouted as ice began to shoot out of the magic circle under him, propelling him into the sky before it stopped, standing at fifty feet high, with just enough space for Gray to walk in a small little circle on top. The children gasped in amazement at the sheer detail Gray had put into the tower, with a door at the bottom near the ground, while the walls seemed to be made out of icy stone, almost like a more controlled cobblestone. There were even a few window holes, spaced around the tower. Everyone craned their neck, in an attempt to watch Gray's next spell.

" _Ice Make, Gungir!'_ Gray cried as a large magical circle formed in front of him, shooting out a large, intricate spear as it shot into the clouds, accelerating quickly as it approached the crack in the sky, intent on breaking the curse, literally. They watched with jaws dropped as it seemed so close, only for the mixture of air resistance and gravity to be too strong for the spear, as it began to plummet down from the sky, making them cry in anguish as their pain had to continue.

It was even more shocking when they saw an explosion of fire at the butt of the spear, rocketing it towards the sky before it easily broke through the film, making the cracks grow quickly as pieces of the film began to break off, making the villagers scream in fear until they saw it turn back into gas, right before their eyes, the sheer force of the spear creating enough heat and energy to excite the particles back into a gaseous state.

The mages turned to Natsu, noticing the smile dancing across his lips as he watched the villagers dance in happiness, his eyes shining with warmth as he saw couples kiss, and friends hug as they all awaited their bodies to turn normal, uncaring that it would hurt as it would be the last time they would ever have to experience such pain.

And they waited...

They turned to the mages, grief clear on every face as they stared at the mages, their grief turning to anger when they saw the smile on Natsu's face, as some began to cry, losing hope for the last time, until a flash of white light enveloped the whole island, and when it died down the villagers looked at their hands, the feet, their legs, and arms, and were shocked to find no difference.

"You can stop looking because this IS your body," Natsu said aloud making everyone but Ultear, and Erza looks at him in shock, until Shiko began to put together the dots, as she can heal physical ailments, but not mental...

"The Bi-Product of the _Moon Drip_ , that lens that was over the sky, it didn't mess with your bodies, only your minds. It's something like the _Placebo Effect_ , in which your mind believes something so much that it makes it so. Galuna Island is the Island of demons, the only exception is that you all have the ability to blend in with us so that nobody is panicked or disturbed. Everyone time the moon came out, and you saw the bright purple light, you believed that it was causing you to become demons when all it did was return you to your natural form." Erza explained making everyone look at her in shock, while Yukino and Lucy stared at her in amazement, looking up to the female S-Class wizard who was able to stand on equal grounds with Natsu, not because of sheer magical power, but because of her knowledge, and bravery.

"I was glad I left this in your hands... Once I saw the Wizard Saint on the boat, I knew for certain that my village would no longer have to suffer, allowing me to come home..." A new voice said making everyone look around, trying to see who had snuck up on them. They looked left, and right, and couldn't see anyone for miles until they looked up. Shiko was shocked, having had not known one fo the Ten were on the island, as she looked between the mages around her, confused to see the Wizard Saint robe wrapped around the pinkette on the ground, before looking to Erza, assuming that she is the Saint, as she is both intelligent and strong, unlike Natsu's who is fairly oblivious.

Moka nearly cried when he saw the unmistakable form of his son, with large, demonic wings on his back, keeping him in the air as they continued to flap. The rest of the villagers were shocked, having had held a funeral a year ago for the same man they had to execute, having had broken his shoulder, collarbone and three of his ribs in an attempt to escape the healer's hut. Natsu simply smiled while the other mages let out a sigh of relief, glad that their ferry master hadn't died when the boat overturned.

"Hello father, What they say is true, the others and I simply figured it out as well, and when we tried to tell you... you thought we were crazy..." Bobo said as he wings immediately curled around his body, making him plummet towards the ground, causing some dusty to fly while Moka ran forward, before tackling his son with a hug while the other villagers watched with small smiles, as one by one their memories came back, as they began to celebrate, the truth being the greatest gift anyone could have given them.

Bobo smiled over Moka's shoulder looking at the fairy tail mages, and the mages he didn't even recognize, just glad that he no longer had to stay away from his home, from his family, and those he grew up with. 'Thank you...' He mouthed as the villagers began to run towards them, not even caring about how on earth he survived, just glad he did as the village was encompassed in quite possibly the worlds largest group hug, making the watching mages look on with pride as they saw the villagers cheer and found themselves able to love themselves once more.

"How did you know?" Gray asked as he turned to both Erza and Natsu, annoyed to watch as Erza simply tapped her head while Natsu tapped his nose, proving that even if Gray was smarter, Natsu is still more observant, genetically, not mentally.

"So, uh... Who get's the reward?" Yukino asked softly making the others look at her, before everyone turned to Lucy, curious as to what she wanted to do with the situation. Only Natsu saw the conflict in Lucy's eyes as they thought about it, the silence making her uncomfortable as they continued to look at each other until Erza turned to Yukino.

"Since, you helped break the curse, and were here before us, you will get the full reward for the breaking the curse, but will not get any of the rewards from the S-Class quest," Erza said making Yukino look at them in shock, not having had ever believed they would allow her to get even the gate key, until she realized she had no idea which key it was, or even if it actually was a gate key.

"Thank you so much, for bringing my son back to me, and for restoring peace to our home, protecting us from the evil hiding in the dark. Please, allow us to treat you all to a feast in your honor!" Moka cried out, hearing his people cheer with them as they looked at the mages before them, before turning to Shiko.

"Shiko, thank you so much for your help... However, we are no longer in need of your services, if you wish to stay here, you are free to stay here if you wish..." Moka trailed off, as everyone turned to her, curious as to where she would go, only to see her eyes locked onto Ur, before she made up her mind.

"I have found, yet another impossible case... And I intend to see the patient through, I am honestly curious, and I've never seen, or ever heard a case like this, ever." Shiko said with a smirk making Gray let out a sigh of relief, glad that they will have another healer to watch over his mentor until she is able to travel across Earthland once more.

"Very well, Chefs! Prepare a feast!" Moka cried out making the others cheer as they prepared for a feast, in the honor of the mages who had practically saved their lives, only to watch in shock as Natsu raised his hand, stopping everyone in their tracks as they looked at the Saint, confused as to why he was rejecting food.

"We appreciate the offer, but unfortunately we have to get back and start on the paperwork, plus we have to get Lyon's trial on the way as well," Natsu said aloud making everyone but Erza and Shiko sigh, as they had wanted to have a chance to relax, until they looked at him, confused as to how he planned to get back.

"Very well, but at least let us give you a ride back, stocked with some supplies?' Moka offered, making Erza smile as she nodded, before Moka gestured to the people around them, instructing people to prepare food while others went to go set up their ride home while Gray glared at Natsu, annoyed that they wouldn't be able to rest for a few hours longer. Natsu simply blew Natsu off while Lucy, Erza, and Happy went to the hut they stayed in earlier before Gray followed them so that they could clean up and collect their stuff, leaving Natsu alone with the Mages of Galuna Island while Ultear went off, to most likely sit with her mother once more.

"So..." Natsu said with a smirk on his face as he looked down at Sherry, Yuk, and Tobi, before he dropped to his knees, engulfing his hand in his green flames making Shiko and Moka watch in curiosity as he touched Tobi's shoulder, watching in amazement as he began to stir, meaning that Natsu had somehow accelerated his healing process exponentially. "What are your plans now? that you have finally avenged your families," Natsu said softly as he looked at them, making Sherry blush while Yuka sighed.

"I... need to train more. I had trained hard for years, and yet the best I was able to do, was move Deliora's hand." Yuka said, his voice laced with anger, but he was too tired to do much with it while Sherry simple looked at Natsu, before looking back at the ground, unable ask Natsu what she had in mind.

"Fairy tail always accepts those that have lost their ways, so that we can guide them back on a better, healthier way of life. And as a result, if any of you wish, Fairy Tail's doors will always be open to you." Natsu said as he looked at Sherry, glad to see the growing smile on her face as she nodded her head gleefully, warmth growing in her chest as she looked at him.

"Yes, please! All of you have accepted me, not because of my magic, or my looks, but because you genuinely love me... for me." Sherry said as she looked Natsu in the eyes making him slightly worried until he remembered that her quirk was that she held so much love inside her, that's why she spoke of love so much.

"Alright, I will supply you two money if you decide to head out on your own, but you are free to join us on our travel towards the mainland. I'll give you some time to think," Natsu said with a smile as he stood up, before looking to find Ultear, curious as to whether she wanted him to help with the report to the Council, until he heard a voice behind him.

"Wait! Why didn't you tell them we were also responsible?" Sherry asked curiously, looking around to make sure nobody heard her over the new happy din encompassing the village, everyone overflowing with happiness as they were now able to understand the truth, no longer afraid or worried that they would be stuck in a body that wasn't their own.

"Because of why you did it... If a demon like that had killed someone in my family... I would have done worse, so I can't really judge any of you for that. Hell, some of us _Have_ done worse, but the defining part of this is what you do now. Do you choose to be better, to grow as a person? Or do you simply allow yourself to continue to fall down that wrong path? Natsu said as he looked each and everyone one of them in the eyes, even Tobi who had literally just woke up, only to be stuck already in a moral dilemma as he left them to their own devices as he searched for Ultear, having had already cleaned his stuff up earlier that morning.

When Natsu was unable to see Ultear anywhere around him, he looked around, before closing his eyes, preparing to follow her scent using his _Flaming steps_ , until he felt a small hand grasp his, prompting him to turn around and look down at the two children who had who had approached him. Unbeknownst to both him and the children, Shiko was standing behind them, leaning against a house as she observed him interact with the children, finding this to be a perfect time to judge his character as she was quite familiar with the children.

"Well hello there, what brings you to over to little old me?" Natsu said with a gentle smile on his face as he crouched down, looking the young boy, and even younger girl in the face as he waited for them to answer his question.

"We... We just wanted to say thank you, for bringing our daddy back..." The young boy said, with small tears rolling down his demonic face while his sister simply sniffled, making her brother give her a hug while Natsu simply stared at them, feeling his heart slowly break as he watched the children in front of him break down in tears.

"C'mere," Natsu said softly as he leant forward, before wrapping his arms around the children, bringing them in for a hug, unaware that everyone had stopped what they were doing, even his guildmates had stopped approaching him, curious to see how he would handle this situation, only to have their hearts melt when they saw him give them a hug.

"Ho-w... *sniff* How can you to-uch us... we're demons..." The boy whispered softly, making Natsu's heartbreak even further as he gently increased his hold on the children while Shiko felt a tear rolling down her cheek, having had never expected him to be able to handle the situation this well.

"What you look like, does not define who you are... embrace who you are, and learn to be better than people expect," Natsu said softly making both children stop crying as they looked at him, small smile's growing on their faces as they returned his hug, squeezing him as hard as they could as they began to smile, before they backed off, full-blown smiles on their faces as they ran towards their mother, and true to nature, Natsu was completely oblivious to the fact he held everyone's attention as he flashed away, as he followed Ultear's scent.

When Natsu excited his _Flaming Steps,_ he was unsurprised to see that Ultear had chosen a secluded area, probably having had wanted some space, especially after everything. She was sitting atop one of the tallest trees on the island, hiding in the brush of the leaves as she sat on one of its branches.

"So, Are you going to be coming with us? To Fairy Tail I mean?" Natsu asked softly as he noisily approached the tree, having had warned her of his approach.

"Unfortunately... First, we are both going to have to report back to the council and fill them in on everything that has happened, and then I'll try and come down to check how my mother is going..." Ultear said with a sigh as she jumped down onto the ground, joining Natsu on the grass as they looked out into the luscious green forest.

"That's fair, about how long do you think it will take for the meeting and such?" Natsu said with a sigh as he laid on the ground, surprised to see Ultear joining him as they looked up at the beauty around them, as they had even though they would have died earlier that day.

"Maybe a week or so? It depends on how long Lyon's trial will take since we will both be called to the stand, we won't need to bring in the others, but..." Ultear said making Natsu laugh, without humor as he stared through the branches above him into the sky. They continued to lay there in companionable silence until a burning question appeared in Natsu's head.

"Hey Ultear, do you ever think you'll tell me why you were even on this island in the first place? going around as a green haired dude in a mask?" Natsu asked making Ultear giggle as she looked over at him.

"Are you ever going to tell me why you used Flaming Steps to approach the last spot where Deliora stood, and explain why there were no remains after that?" Ultear asked with a smirk on her face making Natsu smirk.

"Touche".

* * *

Before the reviews, I have a little note. I'm sure you all saw me cut off at the beginning. Some people believe the fight should have continued, and others believed it is over. I'm torn between the two, so I'll leave it a mystery, allowing me to wrap up the arc. Someday when I'm better at writing, I may come back and finish this, but, for now? I've spent far too long on the Galuna Island arc, and all good things come to an end. I know I've disappointed some, but even Natsu has a limit to his power, and I felt it really hard to continue such a fight with his power running low.

And can I just say something? I've been writing for over half a year now… Over 410 favorites, over 480 followers. That's just crazy, and I honestly can't believe that it continues to grow a little every week. Thank you all for somehow enjoying my still story :D And I can only hope you all continue to enjoy it as I continue to grow as a writer.

* * *

And onto the reviews!

Guest/28- I'm glad you think so! I hope you aren't disappointed by how I decided to do this, but I do believe it's better than saying it is done and over, rather it's up to your own imaginations until I decide to come back to it.

Natsuharemfan/21- I do agree with that, in fact, I always believed that Hiroshima had committed a sin. Every character had perfect backstories and character development throughout the arcs but had the stupidest quirks or personalities for it. I do intend to do something, about it.

Guest2/28- The reunion will be good, hopefully, I just plan not to make it all at once. The point I don't get, is if Natsu is END, why does he need devil slayer magic? He's a devil Himself! Ergo requires no special magic to kill demons.

NatsuHaremLover/28- I do agree with you on that certain point, but if you take into account Natsu's HellFire Flames, most, if not all magics are weak before him due to that. Sure it will drain him faster, but. They will have new spells, I plan on maybe making one or two Amaterasu Formulas, and maybe giving them new, better spells based on their current magic, but we'll see.


	30. Destruction Causing Devastation

And Onto the Story!

Natsu and Ultear continued to lay on the ground, looking at the stars, that were now able to shine clearly in the night due to the lack of film over the island. The lack of pollution made the stars so bright, and clear.

"Welp, let's get going!" Natsu said as he flipped to his feet, clapping the dirt off his palms as he walked towards Ultear, extending a hand to help her up, completely unaware of the fact she was annoyed that he had disturbed the comfortable silence so easily.

She rolled her eyes as she accepted his hands, unsurprised as to the ease he had lifted her, but confused as to how gentle he was, not feeling like he was attempting to pull her arm out of the socket. But once she got on her feet, it was a very different story. She was quickly enveloped in flames, and before she even had a chance to scream they disappeared in a flash of light, only to reappear at the entrance of the village, making everyone jump in fright at the suddenly appearing flame, as some didn't even have the awareness or capacity to watch its approach.

The mages, on the other hand, were already used to Natsu's flaming steps, especially with it being around two O'Clock in the morning. The villagers when they saw the fire rapidly turn into the two council officials, even if the councilwoman started to rapidly beat on the wizard saint, screaming obscenities at him, ranting about how he can't just do that and has to ask first, all the while he simply stood there, laughing through the entire thing.

"... You can't just grab a woman and do that! Ugh!" Ultear screamed as she saw the annoying smirk on his face, hits that could crack trees and fracture rocks not even leaving a bruise on the dragon slayer. His teammates simply rolled their eyes, learning very quickly that Natsu prefers to be dumb and have fun.

"Fairy Tail Mages... Here is the reward... Thank you so much for ending our curse, and showing us the light in our darkness, even if we ended up being the darkness," Moka said with a chuckle nearing the end as he held out a bag of money and a golden key, making Yukino almost squeezed in delight. The mages looked on curiously, as his personality seemed to almost make a complete one-eighty, showing that stress and pain can truly change a person, it was just a good thing that they were able to save them in time.

"Thanks!" Natsu said with a large grin on his face as he stepped forward, having no trouble with the weight of the money, as it was in fact, different jewels and trinkets valued at the reward price. He took not things, turned around and practically threw them at Yukino, holding them out to her so very close that she could have sworn she felt a breeze from the force of the bag, but not so quickly that they actually hit her.

Everyone watched in slight shock as the young girl took the bag, only the weight of the bag, her torso falling into Natsu's cheat due to the direction of the force.

"Ow..." Yukino moaned as she let go of the bag before practically glaring at Natsu, making him rub the back of his head with the hand that had been carrying the bag, before holding out the celestial key towards the girl, making Lucy quickly run over, her excitement putting her at the speed of Erza's flight armor as they both stared at the key, the anticipation threatening to make their heart explode as Yukino turned the key over, revealing the emblem on the key.

Even the other mages looked over, their curiosity peaked at which of the six other spirits could it be, meaning that after, all they would need is to find the last remaining five, and not long would Fairy Tail have all twelve Zodiac keys, but they would also have two wizard saints.

"*Squeal!* It's Virgo!" Both Yukino and Lucy cheered simultaneously, making Natsu fall to the ground, holding his ears making Shiko look up curiously, confused as to why he was suddenly writing around on the ground, holding g his ears in pain. Fortunately for her, Happy was always prepared to point out his surrogate father's terrible, unuseful quirks.

"Because he's a dragon slayer, his hearing is very sensitive, more than five times better than a dog's," Happy whispered conspiracy making Shiko nod her head in amusement, but keeping a straight face as everyone else simply looked at the two stellar mages, confused as to how they got so excited over a key, even if the present mages were a little more aware as to their significance.

Natsu simply stared at the two girls who were rapid firing questions at the other, as they completely ignored him on the ground while Sherry simply stared at him with pity in her eyes, as a good man had to suffer from their love...

"What do you think she'll look like... What's her magic, wh-" Lucy rapid fire asked Yukino, scaring g her a little before Erza stepped in, clamping her hand over the blonde's mouth, making the males present sigh in relief as she had gotten quite annoying, even if her excitement was quite adorable.

"Enough, let her speak," Erza said with her usual authoritative tone before she slowly removed her hands, seeing Lucy nod her head in agreement, as she raised her right hand towards her lips before making a zipping motion across her glistening ruby lips, before twisting a key in front of her mouth, signifying that she had closed her mouth, and locked it shut.

Natsu looked at the blonde in something akin to surprise, glad that she was not jealous, or covetous of Yukino being the one granted the key, rather she decided happily that her friend got something, making Natsu consider whether they should attempt a rivalry between the two, with who could get the more keys, or who develops faster in their magic.

"Can I-" Yukino began to ask, her face happier than anyone had ever seen it, as she was one step closer to reaching her goal, one key closer to having as much as possible... Especially when someone like Natsu had his claw on one of them.

"Yukino, can you please wait 'til we get back to the Guild? I have a lot of paperwork to file and meetings to attend due to all of this, along with Ultear." Natsu asked, politely interrupting her making he sigh in agreement, as they had all had quite a tiring day, and would rather get home.

"Alright..." Yukino agreed as she looked at the key in her hand before pulling out her other ones, making the villagers shocked, unaware that it was part of a set with any actual meaning or significance.

"Can we offer you a boat to ride back to the mainland?" Moka asked as he looked at the surprisingly large amount of mages, including the criminal. 'Where did those other four come from... Especially the councilwoman...' Moka thought suspiciously until he realized that it was no longer of any concern, as the people running the ceremony...

"Wait! What's to stop someone else from partaking in Moon Drip? Once again landing us in suffering?!" Moka asked aloud, making everyone stop, as they hadn't realized someone else could just come along and begin the pain once more.

Ultear was the one to look Moka in the eyes after Natsu had looked to her, a silent plea that she wouldn't throw him under the bus.

"We took that into account... The temple has been destroyed so that nobody else could harm you all. There may have been other ways to prevent this," Ultear said with a side glance towards Natsu, making him blush in shame before continuing on. "But now nobody will ever be able to use Moon Drip again," Ultear announced making The villagers cheer, as they were completely free from this suffering... For good. Both Erza and Gray sighed as well, hiding it during the beers of the villagers, as nobody wanted to report the destruction of such a monument to Makarov even if it was a necessary evil.

"That would be appreciated," Erza Said with a bow towards the elder who gestured forth the fisherman, asking them for a boat that would fit the eleven mages before them, who then looked at the mages with a slight frown on their face before whispering in Mika's ear.

The mages watched in a silent patience while Shiko knelt down before Ur, truly astonished as to how they did all this, as they brought the dead back to life, sure the circumstances were special, but... 'If this is what four of them? Can do on their own, I am honestly curious as to how strong the others are...' Shiko thought in shock as she examined the perfectly, physically healthy woman before them, who may have seemed to be stuck in a come.

"My fisherman has informed me, that they had found an old pirate ship at one point, it is weathered and broken... But, it is the best we can offer," Moka said aloud with a sigh, as most of their fishing boats have a maximum capacity of six people, and they certainly didn't want any of the injured mages drowning on the return ride back to Hargeon.

"Thank you, I we should be able something out," Erza said with a as she was enveloped in a flash, and when it died down she was revealed wearing something akin to a miners work clothes, with a mustard yellow, with burgundy outlined long sleeve shirt and ankle length with a straight cuff, that rested upon Tan Brown, steel toe boots. On her head, she wore a yellow hard hat with a fairy tail emblem of the front, with a black wrap around stripe horizontal to the emblem.

"Please lead us to this ship... You wouldn't mind if we cut down a few trees, correct?" Erza asked as the fishermen began to lead all the mages out of the village towards where they last saw the ship, with Yuka and Sherry holding eachother up while Happy was sitting on Natsu's shoulder, who was carrying Ur with Ultear at his side, with Gray carrying Tobi, while the two stellar mages walked side by side, quietly shooting questions back and forth, already planning to become a duo later on, and what type of combo moves they could do between their respective spirits. Shiko was walking in front beside Erza, asking her all sorts of questions about Fairy Tail while they flooded the fisherman through the wooded area before they approached a wharf, that held a small crashed pirate ship, making Erza bow towards the fisherman, who quickly left towards the village, excited that they were finally cursed free.

"Alright then!" Erza called out as she suddenly appeared on the bow of the ship that was currently pointed towards the stars, looking down at the mages, who gently laid their burdens down, or put their keys away as they looked up at Erza, who was clearly too excited about this.

"Gray, Natsu, Yuka, you three will be gathering wood. Happy! You will be flying the ropes from the mast, Lucy, Yukino, you two will be inspecting the wood, making sure that after Ultear brings it back to life, that there are no holes in the bottom of the boat. Sherry, can you use your rock doll magic the boat around can replace the planks? And shiko, you will be monitoring the wounded. Let's get to it! Lyon, you're with me." Erza called as she jumped off the boat, watching as a very unenthusiastic Gray, Lyon and Yuka went into the trees, using their own, or even remove the bark from the trees, while Sherry used _Doll Attack; Tree Golem,_ lift, and turn the boat so they could fasten the new boards bottom of the boat, while they completely ignored the boys grumbling that 'its four in the morning, just let me fucking sleep."

Surprisingly, it only took about an hour and a half to fix the boat, and replace the sails before the pushed the boat onto the water while the tied it down to a stake, with Gray using his ice magic forming a ramp so that everyone could get on the boat, while Happy insisted on sitting atop the mast, wearing a pirate hat that he pulled out of... Somewhere before Erza pushed them off into the waters, before jumping back into the boat, this time Requipping a map and compass before going to the wheel, making Ultear giggled into her hand as she approached Ur and Shiko in the middle of the deck, as Ultear was worried about her mother getting splashed, leading to a cold, while the others were taking naps on sleeping pallets spread throughout the deck.

Yukino and Lucy were resting side by side, their sleeping pallets only a foot apart while Gray was resting against the starboard rail, tired after a long day of running and fighting, especially with all the emotional turmoil getting flung around everywhere. Natsu was resting against the side of the main deck, trying to rest his body as he stayed awake, in case Erza needed help. Sherry, Yuka, and Tobi were resting against the port side of the deck, directly across from the two stellar mages.

Happy quickly got tired of looking at the people on the boat, as he could no longer see the swimming of the fishes due to how dark it was unlike the day before, even with the sun just barely beginning to rise, stating that it was, in fact, a new day, before he flew down to Erza, waving in a tired happiness as he looked at the stoic redhead.

"Ne-Erza? Do you have any fish?" Natsu asked adorably making the scarlet haired woman smirk in amusement before Requipping a fishing pole and handing it to the cat, even if she already knew he wouldn't get a bite since the movement and noise of the boat treading slowly across the waters would make the fish swim away.

Happy simply laughed in joy before approaching the back of the boat, and throwing the line over the edge, letting it rest in the water while he sat on the rail patiently, too hungry to care about the chances of him falling off. Erza turned back from Natsu, looking over the mages before her, the vantage point she had allowed her to see each and everyone on the boat, except Lyon, who she insisted on putting below deck, something about pirate tradition...

 **Natsu's PoV**

'I am sooooo glad Gildarts made me get over my motion sickness...' Natsu thought with a sigh as he watched Ultear and Shiko quietly discuss Ur's condition, asking back and forth about different treatments or studies that may be of use, while everyone else was resting, tired from a long days stress and work.

"Man... I don't even get to go home, I have to report to the freaking council," Natsu muttered with a sigh as he closed his eyes, feeling the strain of Erza's cart in his magic space as he closed his eyes, quickly skimming through what he had, looking to see if he still had that communication lacrimas Mira gave him a few years back,k so he could give them all an update as to what is going on.

He was more than surprised when he noticed what was actually on Erza's cart, a bit as he requipped a small foil container into his hand, that was about six inches in diameter and three inches tall, before he quietly stood up, walking around the newly repaired staircase to his right before walking up towards Erza, who blushed when she saw what was in his hand, even more so when he requipped a fork into his other hand before holding them out to her.

He smiled when he saw the light blush dusting her cheeks, before silencing her, as she had opened her mouth, by opening the package. Erza couldn't help herself when she took in a deep breath, smelling the undeniable scent of strawberry cheesecake, her eyes fluttering closed as she almost moaned in excitement.

When she opened her eyes she expected to see him smiling, or trying to hold a laugh in, even though others didn't have the guts to talk about her cake in front of her face, she was aware they found it stupid, or amusing.

"Here, if you packed more I should be able to find it, enjoy," Natsu said with a gentle smile as he turned around, about to return to his spot before Erza's hand shot out, her other holding the cake as she grabbed his arm, prompting h to turn around.

"Why..." Erza asked, confused as to why he would do such a thing especially without a smile or taunt like others would have.

"Happy never stops about fish... I'm used to it if you need more let me know." Natsu said with a smile as her hand lost its strength as she exhaled a thank you, releasing his arm as he walked back to his spot, making sure to look over the injured mages briefly so that they wouldn't fall off the boat while one of them were sleeping. His eyes caught on Sherry who was holding his coat around her body until he noticed her shivering. And upon a second look, he realized that everyone except Gray, Yuka, and Ultear was adverse to the bitter winds drifting off the ocean.

" _Fire Dragons Warming Presence,"_ Natsu whispered as his magic flared up, making Shiko loot at him, only until she realized that heat, not blistering or burning, but comforting heat was wafting off of him, enveloping them in such a heat, that it felt like they were curled up in a rabbit fur blanket.

By now only Shiko, Natsu and awake, as Ultear had curled up beside her mother, holding Ur's cold, but somehow warm hand, making her comfort she has craved for over a decade. Happy had fallen asleep trying to catch a fish, his hunger making his body revert to its natural state, a cat nap.

Natsu was unaware to Shiko's gaze as he sat back down, before closing his eyes, trying to look through his magic space, which had a larger capacity than Erza's, but it took more magic to requip them, simply because he wasn't a prodigy in requip like Erza.

 **No Specific PoV**

She continues to watch as his hand was enveloped in a flash of white, showing that he was Requipping something, making her confused as the requip mage, but he is the fire watched as he poured magic into the crystal ball that appeared in his hand, watching as it turned black, confusing her, worried that he had a malicious intent.

Natsu watched as the communication Lacrimas Mira gave him began to glow, before darkening as he heard her voice on the other side, making him smile, glad that she was okay, even if she sounded tired.

"Natsu?" Mira asked drearily, her sleep fatigued mind forgetting the significance of the call until she remembered who was calling.

"Natsu! Mavis, are you ok-" Mira called as she ran towards the communication Lacrimas, cutting off when she saw the large smile on his face, and more importantly how healthy he looked. "-ay. Is the demon dead?" Mira asked with a small smile, making Natsu grin ear as he nodded his head.

"Yeah... Boy, do I have a story to tell you," Natsu said as he looked into Mira's eyes, feeling calmer even though he wasn't really with her. Her smile grew as she saw how happy he was, making it more than likely that he had made a new friend.

"Yep... Remember how the emergency quest said that there was a missing mage?" Natsu asked curiously making Mira nod, not even upset that he had awoken her from her sleep, as her sleep was restless anyway, memories of the past stirring doubts within her she never thought possible, especially when the quest involved mages like Erza, Natsu, AND Gray.

"Turns out, she is also a _Stellar Mage_!" Natsu cheered unusually quiet, making Mira confused, and then worried about who he was trying to let sleep, as he is usually always loud and boisterous. She was surprised that they had found yet another Celestial Spirit Mage, but was honestly too tired too care right now.

"Natsu... You're not alone, are you?" Mira asked scarily quiet, her tone hards as dragons scale Natsu confused, unsure as to why she was so upset. Shiko was simply sitting in the background, the quiet calm of everyone being asleep made it easy enough for her to barely listen in, not for any other reason than curiosity, but was disappointed that he was such a fool.

"No, we're on a boat, the others are sleeping right now after the mission, Erza's at the helm," Natsu answered hesitantly as he turned the lacrimas around, letting Mira see all the sleeping men and women, and the one woman that was awake, prompting Mira to introduce herself.

"Hello! My name is Mirajane Strauss, what's yours?" She asked cheerily with her iconic closed eye smile, making Shiko stare, shocked that she was caught while Natsu was confused, as he was so focused on Mira he was completely unaware he was being watched. Shiko stared at the woman in the lacrimas like a deer in the headlights, as everyone knew who the Mirajane Strauss was, yes reason she never connected the dots between the Fairy Tail mages, and the famous model.

"Are you the stellar mage?" Mira asked Kindly, making Shiko of her shock as she quietly, before approaching the lacrima, not wanting to wake the others around her.

"Hello Mirajane, my name is Shiko Higoshi, and I am, the healer on Galina for the past three years, in an attempt to stop the curse. I am not the stellar mage, as I reserve that for the white-haired girl over there if I'm right anyway." Shiko answered softly before pointing in the direction of Yukino and Lucy, prompting Natsu to turn the lacrima with a smile, glad that they will allow the rest of the guild to prepare for the newcomers.

"You... You use healing magic?" Mira asked shocked, now completely wide awake as she looked at the young green-haired woman before her, shocked that they found so many rare mages all within the span of a day, making Shiko smirk as she nodded.

"Who are the others?" Mira asked, trying her best to hide her shock, prompting Natsu to gleefully turn the lacrima around as he pointed at everyone around them.

"That's Yukino, the stellar mage we found in a cell, that's Ur, Gray's master that use to be a block of ice, that's Ultear, part council AND Ur's daughter, and-" Natsu said as he looked aa he pointed at Ultear, only for Mira him, having had finally realized what Natsu had said while Shiko shook her head in silent amusement, as Natsu's childlike glee made him leave out several important details.

"Wasn't Gray's master dead? And what do you mean she used a block?" Mira asked in shock as she stared at the purple haired women lying on the boat of the deck, confused as to how such a thing was possible if she were to be an ice mage, especially since Gray has never spoken of his master before, ever...

"Oh! Remember that demon we were supposed to kill? Apparently it was a demon from Gray's past, that he tried as a child,.only and require his master's help to save him, who apparently used something called Iced Shell to stop the demon, and-" Natsu rambled happily making Shiko confused as she had seen different sides of the same man within a few hours, seeing him being controlling and in charge, and then happy go lucky.

"Did you say, Iced Shell? Which Demon was it?" Mira asked worriedly, having a scary feeling as to which demon it was now, since Gray came from the north, right around the time Deliora disappeared...

"Yep! Apparently, it takes the caster's body and turns it into ice their enemy in a prison of ice, it was really tricky to break and fix too." Natsu said with a pout, his childlike nature making Mirajane smile, making Shiko curious as to the relationship between the two all the while gaining not .information of the mages around her, but what had happened on the island.

Unknown to both Natsu and Shiko, have sworn she heard another voice on the boat, scarily similar to Mira's, but was unable and investigate since she was reading her map while looking at the stars, doing her best to get the boat to Hargeon, and struggling.

"Natsu, what did you do?" Mira asked, making Shiko worries, because as a woman she was more than aware as to what that tone of voice meant, all the while Natsu was none the wiser as he looked at his girlfriend, simply glad they were able to talk like this, after such a hard fight.

"Well, what was happening, was that a few other mages were using something drip? That apparently uses the power of the moon to break spells. Anyways, it was really tricky, because we had to kill the demon, and while I could have melted the ice, that meant killing Ur, joined together wi-" Natsu explained making Shiko roll her eyes, as it sounded like he barely knew what was going on himself, Mira began to feel anger build inside her, having a feeling he wasted a lot of magic, right before fighting a demon.

"Please don't you worked with the enemies?" Mira asked, annoyed at Natsu's inability to defeat enemies, as he otherwise tries to befriend them try to befriend them, and while she could understand why... It was way too reckless.

"Natsu simply looked at her sheepishly as he turned the lacrima around, this time pointing it at Tobi, Yuka, and Sherry, making Mira .until she realized that he actually asked.

"Natsu... Which Demon was it?" She asked again, feeling fear grip her heart, because by the sounds they barely made it out of there alive, even as Mira the signs in their clothing of battle and injury, even if their skin no longer bore the marks.

"Deliora..." Natsu whispered as he pointed the lacrima back at himself while Mira punched the dresser beside her, cracking the wood as she stared at Natsu, realizing just how close they been to dying, until she took a deep breath, trying down as she hoped, that Natsu had a for all of this, as her patience was wearing thin.

Even Shiko had recognized Deliora's name, as it was stories parents in the north would tell their children as white threats, while internally she had to praise Mira for staying so calm, as the Fairy Tail mages took a lot of risks, even if the circumstances were not clear.

"Natsu, I understand you're excited you met new people, and I'm sure you must have some sort of reason as to why you did that, but it's like four in the morning, and I'm tired. When are you getting back? Maybe you can tell me all about it then, I'm really glad you called though, I will be able to sleep a lot better now." Mira asked kindly with a small, but genuine smile on her face, the passing of light in the window beside her revealed just how tired she was, with slight dark circles under her eyes while Shiko began to put the pieces together, slightly confused as she could have sworn that he liked one of the other girls...

"Okay, have a good night, sleep well, Mira... Sorry for waking you. I should be back within a week, as I have to deal with the council and bring in the man responsible for all of this, " Natsu said as he looked her in the eyes, as even Shiko could feel the emotions his facial expression alone was conveying so much even she felt warm in the chest, let alone Mira's slightly wet eyes.

"Good _Morning, Natsu,_ and take your time, make sure you keep your cool," Mira said with a wink and a giggle before Natsu's communication lacrima went dark, leaving Natsu with a goofy smirk as he closed his eyes, before requipping it away, and turning to Shiko, confused to see the smirk on her face before she rolled her eyes, annoyed that he clearly had no idea what he was doing, at all.

 **Mira's PoV**

Just as she was about to fall asleep, she realized that Natsu would be attending the meetings with the council, while accompanied by Ultear, and while she trusts Natsu completely, she doesn't trust the councilwoman as far as she could throw her, especially since she was probably going through a whirlpool of emotions. 'I really hope Natsu realizes what's going on before she does something,' Mira thought with a sigh, aware as to how oblivious he could be sometimes, especially regarding women. She sighed as she rolled onto her side, pulling her comforter over her shoulders as she closed her eyes, glad that everyone was alive, but now having more to worry about than before, as she now may have a battle for his heart.

 **Boat PoV**

Just as Natsu opened up his mouth to ask her about the look on her face, she shook her head before gesturing him to stay quiet.

"Just get some sleep, you must be tired after killing the demon of destruction, Saint Dragneel," Shiko said as she stood up, not nearly as tired as the others as she stood up before walking up towards Erza, planning to keep the Titania some company while she directed the boat, and also preparing to take a shift, to also let Erza sleep, since she most likely took a lot of the strain as well.

"Alright, Let me know if Erza needs help, just let the others sleep," Natsu said as he closed his eyes, making Shiko curious whether or not he would still be able to warm the others, and within seconds he was asleep, probably because of his responsibilities as a Wizard Saint, requiring him to be able to sleep at his own whim, otherwise he would end up very sleep deprived.

'Will I end up joining Fairy Tail?' Shiko thought humorously as she approached Erza, not entirely opposed to the idea, but has been independent and on her own for so long she is curious as to whether or not she will take the plunge, especially with all the rumors around the Fairy Tail Guild, and their reckless insanity and high damage bills, even if it never peaked their success rate.

 **TimeSkip**

 **"** Come on Flame brain, Wake-up!" Gray said with a smile as he kicked Natsu, not even bothering to be gentle as he had learned just how much of a tank Natsu could be. Natsu began to stir as his eyes fluttered open, making him shield his eyes as they were assaulted by the sun, having had been protected by a small area of shade from the deck behind him.

"What's that Ice Pick?" Natsu said as he began to groggily stand up, with his hand flat above his eyes, in line with his eyebrows, as he began to stand up, stretching his sore and tired muscles as he began to look around, noticing that they had a cart out near the docks, with an unconscious Ur laying in it, wrapped in blanket with Shiko running some more diagnostics, probably to see if her condition had changed with Ultear literally standing beside her, her left hand slightly shaking due to the anxiety she must have felt.

Sherry, Yuka, and a finally awake Tobi were standing in a circle a few feet away from the councilwoman, probably talking about something, but Natsu could care less, currently... Yukino and Lucy were talking to Erza who had Happy on her shoulder, while she was explaining things to the women, probably more about how guild life worked, with Lyon standing two feet away from her, Erza most likely having had decided to keep her eye on the ice mage until he was in rune knight custody.

"We've docked up, time to get off and get home," Gray said with a small smile on his face as he put his hands in his pockets while he actually wore a shirt, Ultear having had repaired his clothing simply because she was tired of seeing him naked. He was about to get off the boat, before he looked back to Natsu, sighing as he approached the pinkette.

"Look, uh, I'm not really good at this, but thank you. Without you... Ur would be dead... Don't expect me to say this again or anything... but yeah." Gray said as he nervously shifted his feet before turning around, and jumping off the boat. Natsu sighed as he looked at the people around them, annoyed that he will be unable to return home yet, but glad that it shouldn't take long. He looked around him, making sure that they left nothing on the boat before his lit his pinky on fire, before dragging it across the railing, setting the boat on fire as he jumped off, the force of his legs pushing the boat far enough back that it wouldn't endanger any of the other sailors as he approached the rest of the mages, that had attracted quite the attention, not only due to the beautiful women in their company, but curious as to why one had dog ears, while another was in handcuffs. And wasn't that a wizard saint cloak on the sakura haired woman's shoulders?

Once Natsu had got within six feet of the others, they noticed his presence, and more importantly the fact that he had lit the boat on fire, even if nobody was on it, nor was it close enough that the mast falling would leave any damage. Ultear simply giggled into her hand while Shiko rolled her eyes. Both Yukino and Lucy were shocked, while the mages from Galuna were amused, even if Erza looked really, _really mad._

 _"_ Natsu! Why on earthland would you do that?!" Erza yelled at him as she stormed over prompting Happy to fly off of her shoulder towards the two celestial Mages, amused to see how his father would get himself out of this situation, which only served to attract even more attention, as onlookers stopped and stared, slightly worried about the boat, but realizing that there were clearly mages around that could handle this since Erza's magic began to swirl around her body, in response to her anger, creating a dark red aura around her body.

"Uh, we can't just leave the boat here, it would interfere with the dock workers and use up unnecessary space?" Natsu asked hesitantly, what was suppose to be a statement ending up more like a question as Erza approached, before sighing, as Natsu would also be coming back from the council meeting with their reward as well, even if having their own boat at Hargeon would be a _very_ useful resource.

Erza sighed, almost as if she was trying to literally exhale her anger as she looked at Natsu before sighing and turning around, not even trying to dignify him a response. She walked back towards the others and gesturing everyone in, even Happy, so that they could discuss what was going to happen next. Natsu silently walked in behind her, before snapping his fingers, causing the whole boat to explode in flames, the heat intensifying tenfold, causing it to turn into ash almost instantly.

"Alright, have you decided what you wanted to do? You can go and train, join any guild you like, even Fairy Tail. We can provide enough jewels for you to go anywhere you like." Erza said as she gestured to Natsu, making him sigh as he requipped a few wads of jewels as everyone turned to the three mages, curious to see what they wanted to do.

"I think... me and Tobi are going to go off and train... The fact we were defeated so easily..." Yuka said as he looked to the ground, clenching his fists as he remembered how close they were to losing Sherry, and everyone else as well. Erza simply nodded her head while Natsu requipped a little more cash, before walking forwards and holding it out to Yuka, since Tobi's arm was still in a sling, and when Yuka grabbed it, Natsu didn't let go.

"Do not feel inadequate, as I have a feeling that Deliora didn't actually use magic..." Natsu said making everyone look at him in shock, and confused. Even so, Yuka and Tobi didn't feel any better, since Lucy didn't even use magic, and that caused his arrogance to get the best of him, especially since his magic was useless, making him consider whether or not she should try and learn a whole new type of magic all together... perhaps tying in with his paralyzing claws, especially since his physical strength was actually pretty good.

"Usually, when I use my Hell Fire Flames, I can feel the magic consumption, and it was weird, Laxus and Gildarts worked with me for years, so that I could have complete control and sense of how much magic they were consuming, and the weirdest part... is that there was so little actually consumed. When I broke through its armor, I couldn't feel the magic in it..." Natsu said making Ultear intrigued, while the rest were worried.

"And what about Lullaby? Did he use magic as well?" Ultear asked making everyone turn to her before looking to Natsu, watching as two genius' in their own right went back and forth, trying to learn about the _Demons from the Book of Zeref._

 _"...I am unsure,_ I didn't need to use the _HellFire Flames_ on him, simply because he was literally made of wood..." Natsu said as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly while internally, Erza was literally killing herself, as she was trying to cut him to pieces, rather than burn him down, which probably would have worked better, even if she couldn't even attempt to hold the same strength in her fire compared to Natsu's.

"This is very disconcerting..." Ultear muttered as she rubbed her chin in deep thought, remembering the last Balam Alliance meeting, and was even more worried as to Tartarus' capabilities, since they always figured it was simply a different form of magic, rather than being completely separate from magic altogether. Erza then turned towards Sherry, confused to see her looking at her lifelong friends, and then back to the mages around her.

"And you?" Natsu said as he looked at his fellow Salmon haired friend, making her look at the ground with a slight blush on her face as she pulled his cloak around her body tighter before she looked up at the Fairy Tail mages, her eyes wide as she then looked specifically at Natsu.

"Can I come and see what Fairy Tail is like? I have my revenge, and... I don't know what to do now, My love has made me blind..." Sherry said, her voice dying down at the end making Lyon look at the ground, guilt clear on his mind as he caught the double meaning in her statement, and felt guilty that he had actually used them like that, even if Yuka and Tobi forgave him. Shiko did her best not to facepalm, confused as to how none of them noticed how they were acting around Natsu, completely unaware of the feelings building in their hears...

"We would be glad to let you come and see what our guild is like, just... stay away from the older males..." Erza said with a sigh as she closed her eyes, rubbing her eyelids with her index finger and thumb as she let out a sigh while Gray rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, as they both knew how perverted even Makarov could be at times. Happy simply laughed aloud, which only left the others more confused while Ultear smirked, knowing just how perverted some of the men were.

Silence enveloped the mages while the crowds watching them quickly departed, no longer finding their gathering interesting with the boat now simply ashes scattered to the winds.

"So, uh, I guess it's time to part ways?" Natsu asked as he rubbed the back of his head in confusion, having had given the two mages, even more, cash, just so that they could perhaps buy some books to help with their training, as Yuka's assistance was imperative in defeating Deliora, especially since his ability to block the demons hits probably saved Erza's life.

"Do expect me to come around soon to check up on my mother... I can pay you to keep watch over her?" Ultear asked as she turned to Shiko, surprised to see her shake her head as she looked at the surrounding mages with a smirk on her face.

"No way, Do you understand how groundbreaking a situation like this is in the world of medicine? A situation like that has never been documented, let alone has it ever occurred. There's no way I'm going to miss out on something like this." Shiko said with a smile, surprised to see Erza nod her head with a smile.

"Perhaps we could introduce you to Porylusica, she is the one who gave me a new eye, even without the aid of magic." Erza contemplated aloud, making most of the people present look at her in shock, having had never excepted, or assumed that one of her eyes were not what she was born with. Once Natsu had gotten back on solid ground, and off of the docks, he finally equipped Erza's cart, making everyone but the original 5 in the group look at Natsu in shock, having had never thought it was possible to requip an item of such a size, while Erza walked forward, gratefully grabbing the handle to her cart gratefully.

"That would be much appreciated," Shiko said with a nod, trying to ignore the excitement build up in her chest, as the prosthetic was flawless, making her intrigued to meet this healer, who was perfect even without the aid of magic. After hearing this Gray approached the cart holding his unconscious master, before grabbing both handles with his hands and lifting them up, while Yukino and Lucy stood by his side as Erza began to walk towards the train station, leading them back home while Happy flew mid-air, looking between the mages returning home and his father who was talking to Ultear, with Lyon standing nearby.

"Happy, go with them buddy, it shouldn't take long, plus, you have to show Yukino her new room. Ask Mira for all the fish you want, she can just put it on my tab, okay buddy?" Natsu said with a smile on his face as he walked towards Happy, raising his hand and giving his blue furry son an ear itch, making him mewl in pleasure while Ultear giggled in her hand, amused that the wizard saint who practically solo killed Deliora _after_ reviving her mother was now being such a sweetheart, understanding more and more why Fiore's golden girl had fallen for him. 'He really is a good guy, maybe I should tell...' Ultear thought confusedly before shaking her head resolutely, remembering that would not only endanger Meredy but herself and a few others as well.

"Aye Sir!" Happy cheered with a salute to Natsu before he began to fly towards the other mages. He stopped part way before turning around and crashing into Natsu's chest, tackling him with a hug which Natsu quickly returned, before flying towards his father's ear.

"Come back soon, okay? Then we can go fishing!" Happy said with a smile as he let go before using his _Max Speed,_ instantly disappearing in a gust of air as he flew towards Erza and the others, excited to go back and tell Mira all about the mission, and how he helped, forgetting the fact she was unaware of how much Yukino looked like her dearly departed sister...

"So, uh, whats the quickest way to the council from here?" Natsu asked as he looked at the councilwoman, surprised to see a smile on her face as she looked at him, before turning to Lyon, making a chain of ice form from his handcuffs as she pulled him to his knees with a glare.

"This way," Ultear said as she turned away from the docks, heading in what seemed to be a random direction as she pulled Lyon who had stayed silent for most of his time around her, probably because nothing he said could make up for the fact that he almost forced her to kill her own mother, even if she could have stopped him. 'Oh man, it's really hard to feel bad for him, even if he probably had tried to save her ay one point,' Natsu thought with a sigh as he followed Ultear towards what he assumed to be council branch in Hargeon.

 **Team Fairy Tail**

They were quietly walking towards the train station, the silence fairly comfortable as Erza did her best not to yawn, feeling the drain piloting the boat to Hargeon had on her body, after having been awake for over twenty four hours, almost regretting not asking Natsu for a refresh, even if her pride wouldn't allow her too, as nothing she did had practically injured Deliora at all, almost glad that Makarov had forced them to take this quest together, and especially glad he had asked Lucy and Gray to accompany them, because otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to complete the quest, having had lacked the required information otherwise.

'Who would have thought, that all it would take for us to get along, was a demon, a curse, and a day?' Erza thought humourlessly as she stifled a yawn, that Lucy barely noticed, quickly beginning to feel guilty as while she practically did nothing, Erza had to fight the demon, and then direct the boat towards Hargeon, all without getting any sleep. Shiko was quietly walking by Erza's side, periodically looking back to make sure that nothing had changed with Ur's condition, with Happy sitting behind her shoulder on the cart that Gray was calmly pulling behind him. Sherry was walking a little to the side, still having Natsu's cloak wrapped around her with the hood up, especially since he was her first friend outside of Lyon, Yuka, and Tobi.

"Erza, I'm sorry we didn't take a shift, we should have let you get some rest," Lucy spoke up, breaking the silence making Gray look up, having had been so tired, he had forgotten Erza was the only one who hadn't got some rest.

"Apology accepted," Erza said as she looked back at the blonde with a wink, making her smile as she turned back to Yukino, with the silence now broken the talking continued.

"So... Are you really going to stay with Natsu?" Lucy asked as she turned to Yukino, making everyone listen in, especially Shiko since she was unaware of the current agreement between the two _Stellar Mages._ And slightly worried about the backfall of having Natsu, who seemed completely oblivious to the ways of women, around two women who seem to really like him, or at the least view him very highly, which wasn't hard to do, to be one hundred percent honest.

Sherry was confused, especially about the cold feeling in her chest, confused as to why Yukino would be staying with the Saint, even as she pulled his cloak around her body tighter, feeling comfort in the warmth, and the smell of a fireplace that it emanated.

"I think so?" Yukino answered, having had forgotten about that part of the deal, especially since there were still some unanswered questions about how that was all going to work out.

"That reminds me," Erza interjected while Happy was munching on a fish he got from... somewhere, making Shiko slightly worried that Ur could get sick from the raw fish, before she realized he was devouring it so fast, and efficiently that not even a drop of juice could fall to the ground. "Lucy, you are also going to be joining in on the training, as we have decided, if you accept, to have you two work as a duo.

"I agree," Happy says, completely shocking Shiko and Lucy, as both turned back to look at the cat, surprised to see him throwing a fish skeleton behind him, his face completely serious. "Even without the use of magic, Lucy and Yukino were able to work flawlessly as a team, Lucy restricting Tobi with her whip while Yukino struck. They even had him down within a few minutes, before we began to work on bracing him." Happy said making Shiko turn her gaze to the two girls, shocked that _they_ were responsible for turning his shoulder to dust, making them both blush and look to the ground, just glad that Shiko was able to repair the damage.

Sherry was the most surprised, having had stayed fairly silent as she watched the mages interact, feeling slightly uncomfortable, as it seemed they had all known eachother for a while, and she didn't want to intrude on their conversation. But to hear that Yukino and Lucy, were able to take down Tobi within minutes was completely shocking since he was even stronger than her, and probably Yuka as well.

Even Gray was shocked as he looked at the blonde, who was still wearing the leather armor given to her from Natsu, attracting the eyes of many males, because while it didn't show a lot of skin, it really showed how good her figure was, and Gray was only curious how much better it could get after some good training.

"We're here," Erza announced as she gestured for them to stay back, taking a quick headcount before walking in, heading to the booth and buying seven tickets, before deciding to just order a room, since it would be cheaper. The mages outside waited a few minutes, with a calm, idle chat while they waited for Erza to emerge, and after a few more she did, before leading them towards the train, and helping get Ur onto the train, and into their room.

"Are you going to join as well?" Lucy asked Shiko as they settled into the room, with Ur gently propped against the side wall, resting on a pillow with Gray right across from her, still in his clothes, surprisingly... Shiko was on Ur's right, having had been decided, just in case Ur were to need any attention during the ride back to the guild, with Happy to her right and Erza to his. Lucy was sitting beside Gray, having had learned enough about the dark haired teen, to know that he wasn't nearly as bad as Macao or Wakaba. Yukino was sitting beside Lucy, with Sherry sitting against the wall to their left, with the door closed, allowing them privacy.

"Me?" Shiko asked as she pointed to herself, as they could already tell she was a very confident person but were curious as to how she got to where she did, that she would literally dedicate her life to try and cure the uncurable, weirdest cases in medicine. "I don't know... is that Por-y-lusi-ca woman part of the guild as well?" Shiko asked as the others could clearly tell she was looking forward to studying with the human-hating woman, making Gray smirk, as he could only imagine how the strict woman would reject her.

"No, she is actually an old friend of our Guild Master, Makarov, and due to their friendship she helps him, and us," Erza explained as she laid back, preparing to get some rest as she closed her eyes, prompting Lucy to nod her head as she looked at everyone around them, gesturing for them to stay quiet while Gray stood up, quietly exiting the room as he went to get them some food, as silence enveloped the train car.

 **Natsu PoV**

"Why haven't they released this type of magic to the public? Imagine the time people could save transporting from place to place, by just simply stepping on a pad imbued with teleportation magic!" Natsu argued as he and Ultear approached the council meeting chambers, having had already dropped Lyon off in the cells in the basement, having had filled out the paperwork already, and were about to speak at the council meeting.

"Because then they wouldn't be in control, plus, they are trying to keep the economy running, as trains and magic mobiles are still an important part of our economy, they provide for families and children. Well, that's what they argue anyways," Ultear said with a side glance towards Natsu, her demeanor completely different, even the way she walked, was formal and strict, calm and controlling as they approached the room to the council, which was guarded by two rune captains, who were standing outside the door, with their respective weapons in their hands and they recognized the two mages approaching them.

When Ultear approached the door she turned back to Natsu, gesturing for him to wait as the guards opened the door, allowing her to walk in, and when Natsu tried to follow her in he was quickly blocked off by the guards, who crossed their weapons in front of him blocking his entrance. He was confused, as he requipped his wizard saint medallion, proving that he too, was an employee of the council, only for them to continue to block him out of the meeting, until he was approached by one of the council frogs.

"We Apologize, Saint Dragneel, but, you have to wait for the permission of the council before you are allowed entrance." The explained before leaving the hallway, leaving Natsu standing there, annoyed, even as he tried to understand their reasoning as he waited. After a few minutes of impatient waiting, the doors finally opened once more, granting Natsu entrance as he finally entered the meeting, unsurprised to see that the room lit by the large, blue magic circle on the ground, the enveloped the entire room, with nine, smaller white magic circles with the same emblem spaced around the circumference of the circular room, with nine, varying sized silhouettes on each circle.

Once Natsu had finally entered the room, the door sealed shut behind him, completely hiding back into the cobblestone, almost brick walls around them. He sighed as he walked into the middle of the circle, trying his best not to feel nervous, as he could distinguish certain council members around the room, like Ultear, Yajima, Org and Gran Doma.

"Thank you, Saint Dragneel, for joining us immediately after what we could imagine was a taxing mission. We have heard that the Demon was, in fact, Deliora and that you have succeeded in sending that Demon to the Depths of Hell. Is that true?" And old, loud, but stern voice asked over the silence, as Natsu turned his head to the voice.

"That is in fact, true," Natsu answered, having had been taught by Mira that you should never answer more than what is asked, otherwise you risk being blindsided, or even cornered.

"And how in fact, did you kill such a demon, who was thought to have even been immortal?" A young, arrogant voice called out making Natsu slowly turn his head around to look towards the council member who spoke, remembering the voice as another member of the Saints.

"First, you have to understand the circumstances. Almost a decade ago, in the Northern Continent, Deliora was roaming around, wreaking death and destruction in his path, until he was stopped by a mage I think we should all remember. _The Winter Queen."_ Natsu said, making everyone's jaw drop as they all subtly turned towards Ultear, knowing that it was her mother, who went by such a moniker.

"One of her pupils, Gray Fullbuster, a member of my guild, had sought the demon out, in an attempt to seek revenge as the demon had killed his family. He was one of two disciples of Ur. Obviously, Gray failed, but Ur did not. She used _Iced Shell,_ a forbidden art, sealing the demon in a prison of ice, ensuring her wards safety, and life." Natsu explained making everyone confused, as she was one of a handful of mages ever recorded to have completed a decade quest, that was not one of the Wizard Saints.

"Continue on, Saint Dragneel, what significance does this have?" An old female voice asked, this having had been a quickly thrown together meeting, due to the sheer importance of the matter.

"Because you have Lyon Vastia, Ur's other disciple in your jail, for the attempted release of Deliora, and the attempted murder of Ur Milkovich," Ultear called out, making everyone turn to her shocked, as they are unable to follow this odd chain of events, especially since Ur should have died sealing deliora... right?

"And how do you know this?" An older male voice called out, making everyone turn to one of the shorter silhouettes, who had a tail, swishing back and forth behind his body, showing his irritation in this matter.

"Because I told her," Natsu explained making everyone look to him again, having had never known him to have a connection with the purple haired woman, who was currently hiding her shock very well, as she didn't have a good reason whatsoever.

"And why would you do that?" The arrogant voice asked out, as his silhouette staired at Ultear, not Natsu, almost as if he wanted to know what she was doing there, and why she was talking to him.

"Because I was capable of reviving Ur, and succeeded," Natsu explained as he glared at the other Saints silhouette, shocking everyone present, curious as to how in the name of hell, they succeeded in such a thing. And how the hell it was even possible, to turn a woman into a block of ice, and then back into a woman.

"Perhaps you should start from the beginning," The old male voice called out once more, bringing order to the council meeting once again.

 **Team Fairy Tail PoV**

As the mages were beginning to unload Ur from the train, they began to notice the villagers and residents around them, whispering conspiratorially, making them feel off, but more importantly worried, as they could hear a few whispers about their guild, which only made them wonder what type of insanity their guild had gotten up to now.

"Let us hurry back, it seems that something has happened," Erza announced as she began to pull her cart behind her with everyone following behind her in the same positions as in Hargeon, but this time Gray was left carrying a stack of boxes in his arms, so that they could rest Ur in Erza's cart as they approached the guild.

Lucy and Yukino were looking around sporadically, worried about as to why they were whispering when they saw them, worried that something had happened to someone.

Sherry and Shiko were looking around, amazed. Having had never seen such a large, civilized city before, mostly because people tended to crowd around stronger guilds, finding safety in the protection of being under Fairy Tail's wing, causing Magnolia to become a very lively, and _loud,_ especially since Fairy Tail was said to be the strongest Guild in Fiore, only rivaled by Phantom Lord. And to see a huge city, clouded with people and magic mobiles, was a stark contrast from Galuna island, where the two have been for the last three years.

The closer and closer they got, the more whispers the heard, which only served to make them even more worried, especially when they could see pieces of black sticking out from the guild, and when they turned the corner, and saw the guild hall in full view they were shocked as they stared at the once beautiful, and magnificent Fairy Tail Guildhall in Guildhall with large, black iron poles, stuck throughout the top floors of the building, leaving windows shattered, and the roof broken as they stared in horror while Sherry, Shiko, and Yukino looked on worried, especially when they saw Lucy's heartbroken eyes, Gray's clenched fist, and Erza's stone cold face, as they saw their home, destroyed.

"Wh-at hap-ppend, wh-o cou-ld ha-ve d-one thi-s" Lucy said as her breathing came in unevenly, doing her best not to break down as she looked at her new home, a place she made friends, broken, and she could only imagine how terrible it truly was, since they could no longer hear the joyful but destructive sounds coming from the grand building. Even the bell on the very top, which didn't really even hold much purpose, was cracked in half, with the other half barely resting upon one of the iron poles protruding from their guildhall.

* * *

First off, I just want to dedicate this chapter to my girlfriend. Yes, big update, but, uh, yeah. Happy birthday ;)

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And Onto the Reviews!  
Guest/29- Ur will not wake up yet, maybe next chapter, we'll see. I have a few ideas for Lyon in the future, which will be quite interesting. I won't promise any Natsu x Girl action in the next chapter, since, as you could obviously tell, well, this is how I'm working on the problem I've had for the past few months, which is why would Jose attack if both Natsu AND Makarov were present. So I changed that.

Natsuharemfan/29- I agree, to a certain extent. being blacklisted for attacking someone is quite absurd, killing, maiming or raping, then yes. But if a child were to punch Natsu? I don't think that's necessary. I do understand what you were meaning though. I do like the blacklisting idea, but still. Erza doesn't really get called out for her actions as well, even if its simply because people are scared of her.

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I have to admit, originally I was thinking about making the key be Capricorn, as I think everyone found evil Virgo quite... Alluring and interesting. Plus, it would have helped to even out the gender equality in the 7 kin of purgatory. But, then Capricorn would have insisted on being with Lucy, bleh. This just brings Virgo closer to the harem sooner. I might still change it, since there won't be time to write her in yet, I'll put a poll on my profile. Just straight up Virgo or Capricorn, you decide. I'll just go back and change this chapter then.


	31. The Relentless Phantom

And Onto the Story!

 **Fairy Tail PoV**

The mages stared in a mixture of anger, shock, confusion, and sadness as they looked at the broken and torn down guild hall, this being the same one they grew up in, the same one they laughed and loved in, all the while citizens looked on, feeling a mixture of pity and fear within them, not wanting to see whoever would dare commit such an act.

They stayed in silence, the new mages feeling almost uncomfortable in the overpowering, strangling silence as the mages continue staring at the broken Guild Hall, the tears rolling down Lucy's face have gone completely unnoticed, while Shiko was confused. 'Who would dare attack a guild composed of a fifth, of the world's strongest mages? Not to mention their other s-class mages," she pondered, completely dumbstruck as to how such a thing would happen, but more importantly, why.

The silence was broken, by the sound of the rubble being shifted, moves. They turned their heads, glad to see Elfman lifting the rubble, his muscles visible and glistening as his large formed created a path for his sister, Mirajane to emerge, who smiled when she saw the mages before her, confusing the already grief-stricken mages even further.

"Natsu said you'd be back! Hello Shiko!" Mira said with an adorable, closed eyes smile as she waved towards the green haired mage, who simply smiled back, as Elfman gently lowered the rubble to the ground, for some reason his mumbling was completely centered around the word, ' _Man_ '.

"Hi, Mira! What happened?!" Happy shouted, not even caring what she said as he flew forward, impacting into Mira bosom at Mach one, making her take a step back to prevent falling over while she laughed with glee, making everyone take a second to realize just how close the barmaid was to the flying cat while Elfman looks at his sister, feeling warm inside as he hadn't seen her laugh like that in a while, especially since this morning...

"What!?" The mages cried, confused as to when Natsu even had a chance to talk to Mira, let alone for her to meet the green-haired healer, until Erza sighed, remembering the faint, but the angelic voice she heard the night before whilst directing their ship towards the harbor.

'Of course, Mirajane would have made sure he had a communication lacrima... He truly does like her, and she definitely does love him." Erza thought, trying her hardest to be glad for her lifelong friend, having had finally found love. But all she felt was cold inside, completely deprived of the warmth Natsu's kindness has given her even for such a short period of time, while she could also feel jealousy in her heart making her confused, as they had given up that rivalry a long time ago.

"Who-" Lucy began to ask, unshed tears creating a Lena over her glistening eyes, only to be interrupted by Gray, small amounts of blood dripping down his hands, his fingers having had cut into his palms in a futile effort to quell his anger, making Yukino wince, which garnered the attention of both Strauss siblings, making their jaws drop in shock, seeing this young woman who looked so much like their dear little sister, causing tears to run down Mira's cheeks as she tightened her hold on the blue cat in her arms, while Elfman began to run forward, his scaring the stellar mage, making her cringe as she ducked her head, happening to somehow lessen the impact, only to watch as the large man was practically flicked away by Erza who had swatted him to the side with her sword.

"Yukino, introduce yourself to your new guildmates," Erza commanded as her eyes locked on to Mira's, worried as to the backfall of their meeting, only to be surprised by the control she held, so much so she raised a brow in shock.

"Natsu had shown me, everyone, last night, using the communication Lacrimas. I had thought she looked so familiar, but, Natsu had introduced her as Yukino," Mira introduced, as she carefully, but quickly wiped the tears out of her eyes, continuing to hold Happy with a single arm, as she brushed the tears away without removing or running her makeup while Elfman stumbled to his feet, tears building in his eyes as he muttered to himself.

"A real man does not shed tears," Elfman muttered as he walked towards the rubble, making an opening once more that they had exited through, prompting Gray to finish his question from earlier, after he had walked towards Ur, making a stretcher from his ice make magic which they gently rested her on, with Erza grabbing the front before they began to bring her in to the basement.

"Who did this Mirajane," Gray asked, his voice colder than liquid nitrogen as his magic finally began to run ramped, his control lost to his anger as he stared at the upset, but mainly calm barmaid who patter her brother on the shoulder as she passed through before tightening her hold on Happy once more as Eflman, revealed the door to the basement as they walked down, doing their best not to drop Ur as they went.

"It was Phantom Lord, with all our S-Class mages out on missions, apparently they figured now was the time to strike," Mira explained, trying her best to stay cheerful for her friends as she led them into the basement, leaving everyone shocked at the upset, and downtrodden atmosphere below them, as their guild had always been happy and lively.

Once Shiko and Sherry had finally passed through, Eflman had finally followed them, shifting his grip to only one hand as he gently let the rubble rest, as he followed his guildmates, new, old and not even for certain into the basement.

The Fairy Tail mages in the basement looked up, and even the appearance of new beautiful women was not even enough to cut through the sadness, as they continued to drown their sorrows as Cana and Makarov walked forward, having had been warned by Mira about this, but never having expected them to come at a time like this.

"Alright, let's clear up a table for the lady," Cana commanded, prompting mages to leave a table, before pushing two together, before they sluggishly moved towards a new table, the sound of wood scratching on stone making Laki grit her teeth, annoyed that they disrespected her tables so much, but not even finding the will torture them as she continued to stare at the table she sat at, with Mickey, and even Vijateer sitting with her, while Reedus stood in the corner, with a forlorn look on his face as he painted the first sad moment in the guild, since they lost Lissanna...

Erza and Gray walked forward, gently resting Ur and the stretcher on the table while Elfman went around, continuing to help his sister clean the basement while checking and enforcing the structural integrity of the room with planks of wood Laki had created earlier.

Silence continued to permeate in the room even as the mages split up, Lucy and Yukino walking towards Levy, Jet, and Droy, excited to introduce her new partner to her best friend, while Mira went back to the makeshift bar with Happy before setting him down and putting a fish in his hands, before she began preparing some food for the mages who were sure to be hungry, with Erza in tow, hoping for some of her favorite cake.

Gray, Shiko and Makarov by Ur's side, with the old man jumping up onto the tables holding the unconscious woman, somehow not spilling his precious beer within his hands as he inspected the legendary mage before Shiko continued to use her magic, as she diagnosed the woman once more, making the man's brow raise, as even he had never seen such a magic before, but leaving that as a question for later given the circumstances.

Sherry simply stood at the bottom of the stairs, unsure if she was allowed to walk forward, as she looked around at the mages, able to feel the love they felt not eachother, but the guild they made as a whole, greatly aiding her decision as to whether or not she should join the guild or not.

And all the while, all of them had forgotten that there were still a few mages unaware of such a travesty, mainly the dragon slaying Saint, currently in the clutches of the council for an untold amount of time.

 **Council PoV**

Natah simply stood in the middle of the council members, a smirk clear upon his face as he enjoyed the shocked silence around him, while Ultear simply giggled into her hand, amused that they were to shut up, every, single, Council Member. And all it took, was to kill a demon of Zeref, all the while reviving the dead.

"Is this true, Council Woman Ultear?" Organic silhouette asked as he turned to the young woman, being the first to control and hide his shock at the story that the Sixth Saint told, surprised that her disciples fought over the future, and even more glad that they had this "Cold Emperor" in custody, as even if his intentions were pure, to a certain degree, he had still attempted to release a demon from the book upon the world once more, which would have laid waste to many more cities, and towns, if not for Fairy Tail.

"What proof do you have of Deliora's death? Where is his Skeleton, or even his ashes? Lullaby's flute reverted back after his defeat, why didn't Deliora?" Siegrain spoke over the silence, making many like Michelle, and Gran Doma call out their agreement as everyone looked at Natsu, while Ultear internally sighed, annoyed that Jellal was attempting to tarnish Natsu's reputation, while allowing others to act out their hate of Fairy Tail some more as well, prompting Ultear to step in.

"Fortunately, there is even a recording of the whole process," Ultear announced making everyone, including Natsu, stare at her in shock, as she produced a lacrima out from inside her Kimono, before it flew into the middle of the room, expanding into a viewing screen, grabbing everyone's attention so much, that they missed the reports and notifications, of conflict between two guilds.

"And how you able to procure such a recording, such small notice?" Siegrain asked as he glared at Ultear, making even Belno call out in agreement as they looked at Ultear, unable .the confusion and worry upon Natsu's face. 'What is she doing?! Wasn't she supposed to control Deliora?! This is the perfect time to get Natsu out of the picture! Why is she helping him!' Siegrain thought in anger as he stared at the back of the pinkettes head, knowing he would have next to no chance to revive Zeref if, his superior staid in the picture.

 **Fairy Tail PoV**

"So this is the Winter Queen?" Makarov asked in curiosity as he set his beer down, upon request of Shiko, as he approached the woman, making a few heads, including Levy's shoot up at the name, prompting her forward, with her team, Lucy and a confused Yukino in tow.

"Apparently," Shiko said as she looked at the small old man, making him look up at her, his sadness making him forget about the fact three, possible new recruits were in the room! Not the woman on the table. Gray simply stood there, stewing in anger while the others simply went around like business was normal like Phantom Lord hadn't just declared war. In fact, everyone was so upset, they completely missed the fact Gray was actually wearing clothes.

"And who are you? I can only thank you, for helping my brats get back, safely and mostly in one piece." Makarov said as he held his hand out to the slim green-haired woman, who responded in kind, as they ignored Levy's gasp in shock, at seeing one of her idols unconscious on a table, laying there in her peak physical prowess.

"I am Shiko Higoshi, a rogue healer. Your mages had shown me up, proving that I had wasted three years of work on Galuna, trying to fix something that they solved in a day." Shiko introduced almost sarcastically as she held her hand out to Makarov, who was too drunk to need to hide his shock as he shook her hand, even if he was curious what her magic was.

"And you are?" Makarov asked as he turned his head towards Yukino, who was sticking to Lucy like glue, while she attempted to answer every question Levy asked, with much difficulty, while Jet and Droy stood behind her, prepared, and I mean _whatever_ she asked.

"Me?" Yukino asked softly making everyone realize just how much she looked like Lisanna but were quickly able to notice that main difference, her eyes. And upon Makarovs nod, she answered

"My name is Yukino Agria, a celestial spirit mage, and Natsu's new apprentice." She announced in her quite, but angelic voice making everyone's head shoot to her, not only in shock but confused since they had no idea where the pink haired saint was, give or take a few.

Even Makarov looked at the girl in shock, before half the room erupted in laughter, while others like Cana and Mira were aware as to why he would do something like that. Yukino and Shiko were easily the most confused, especially when the look on her face changed to confusion, while neither Erza, nor Gray made any attempt to correct, or refute her statement.

"Seriously?! Is that what you care about?! Phantom Lord attacked our home! And you're going to sit here, doing nothing but drink in the basement like some wussies?" Gray raged as he looked around him, making everyone stop laughing, and only Makarov had enough steel to drink as Gray looked at the mages around him, prompting Erza to sigh as she set down her fork, her plate cleaned to perfection as she approached Gray, all of them feeling a stronger comradery from the mission they experienced together.

"Gray, look around you, what reason do we have to retaliate?" Makarov asked as he continued to nurse his beer as if it were his youngest child, while Shiko and Yukino looked at the man curiously, confused as to why he was so calm when Phantom Lord was obviously trying to pick a fight.

"WHAT?! Look at us. We're stuck in a basement, hiding with our tails between our legs instead of bringing the fight to them!" Gray argued as he gawked at his master, making some of the members begin to agree, their sadness flipping into anger like the disco in the seventies. Their concurrence began to grow in decibels, making Ur unconsciously cringe while Others began to cover their ears, making Erza growl silently as she looked at the mages around her. Eve Mira came out of the kitchen to look at the mages because while their voices often reached levels higher than this, it was rarely ever this hostile and hateful.

"Enough! What good is it to fight, when they didn't even have the guts to attack any of us?! Instead of choosing to attack an empty building?! Why chase cowards who are too afraid to confront us?! We all know we have the upper hand, having more, and stronger mages than them, so shut up, sit down, and let me drink!" Makarov ordered as he flared his magic, making everyone, especially Sherry look at him shocked, all of them confused, and unaware as to his rank, as a man so small holding so much magic is v

The mages quickly began to return to what they were doing before Gray's outburst, quickly beginning to focus back in on the new mages gracing their Guildhall, especially the new apparent apprentice of their pink haired saint.

"You weren't kidding, were you?" Macao asked as he looked around at the mages who had just returned, noticing Sherry for the first time, and was even more confused as to why she had Natsu's cloak, wrapped around her body like a blanket in the middle of a snowstorm, but decided that he was more interested in what type other than a decade or century quest, would require three monsters like that, plus Lucy wasn't too bad herself.

"Why would I be kidding... Is he a bad teacher?" Yukino asked confused, making Lucy roll her eyes as she looked at the mages around her, reaching her breaking point already with how the guild viewed Natsu, the man who gave her a new family, and hope.

"Nah, just a little dumb sometimes, Hye Mira, can I get a beer?" Gray answered, making the mages even more confused, as he almost, actually stood up for the fire saint, confusing even Mira, as just forty-eight hours ago, they were brawling in the middle of the guild hall.

"So... What is it like to go on a mission with a wizard saint?" Macao asked as he turned around in his seat, annoyed to hear snickers coming from the lush a few seats to his left. "Oh, come on! Like you all weren't thinking the same thing!" Macao argued indignantly making some members nod their head in agreement as they turned to Lucy, Erza, and Yukino who were joined by Levy and the rest of team shadow gear, who were looking at Ur.

"He's got a point, what type of a mission would require all four of you? I mean, Gray is strong enough to be a class himself," Wakaba said, making almost everyone turn to the black haired teen, who was now slowly enjoying his beer, in an attempt to chill down and collect himself.

Mira, on the other hand, had decided to approach Sherry, since she seemed so nervous to be around the Fairy Tail mages, especially since she wasn't lucky like Yukino to have a chance to bond with the others.

The four girls noticed everyone's look after he tapped Levy on the shoulder since they were so caught up in their discussion about Ur to notice what everyone else was talking to them, prompting them to look up.

"They were asking about the quest," Shiko prodded, amused at how everyone was so curious, even if she was as well, turning to go sit at the bar and grab something to eat while she listened to the story. Erza turned to Lucy, giving the blonde an encouraging smile, while all the males in the room finally seemed to notice what she was wearing, as a few men, Wakaba included quickly had to do the run of shame to the men's room, while Macao laughed at his partner.

"It all started with Deliora, the demon of destruction..." Lucy began, her natural skill at writing only making the journey seem more dramatic and exciting, leaving everyone on the edge of their seats as they listened in, hanging on her every word while the others, including Gray and Happy butted in at certain points, telling their sides of the fight.

 **Mira's PoV**

"Hello, my name is Mira! And you are?" The white-haired barmaid said cheerfully as she carefully extended a hand to the new pinkette, making her hesitantly return the handshake as she continued to gawk at the Fairy Tail Mages, utterly confused as to what was going on, having had never been to a guild, or even a busy city, due to her devotion to Lyon and the others, let alone a conflict between legal guilds.

"I'm Sherry Blendy... I was going to come here, and see whether or not I wanted ..." Sherry said quietly as she gently shook the barmaid's hand before it shot back under her cloak making Mira's keen eyes notice the issue.

"How about you come with me into the kitchen, I should have a spare set of clothes I can lend you?" Mira as she smiled at the pinkette, making her head shoot up as she looked Mira in the eyes before a small but sure smile began to grown on her face as she nodded her head, before Mira reached out, grabbing the pinkettes hand before leading her back into the kitchen, while internally sighing at her friends oblivion, as Sherry's clothes were torn and ruined, which is why she kept the cloak wrapped around her, for cover and not that she was cold.

All the while both Makarov and Erza had kept an eye on the pinkette, glad that Mira was able to make even the quietest woman speak and as she helped Sherry begin to open up, she practically felt like she was betrayed by her best friend, who had told them that they were going to confront their demons together leading them to train hard every, only to find out that in the end, he had planned to fight Deliora all on his own.

 **Council PoV**

"I gave it to her!" Natsu out, breaching the silence and also answering the council's question as to where she obtained such a recording of the battle. Even Ultear and Yajima looked at Natsu in exasperation, knowing that there is no way he would have enough forethought to set up a recording lacrimas, let alone remember where it is afterward.

gave it to her?" Siegrain asked rhetorically, practically pouncing on his chance to throw distrust and hate upon his superior, hoping that they would end up throwing him in jail until he told them the truth, which gives him enough time to complete his own plans, that may change slightly, depending on how the meeting goes...

Natsu simply clammed up, having had spoken in trepidation and panic, as he was trying to cover for his new friend, as he doesn't have many to go around...

"Saint Dragneel, this is a topic of utmost importance, and I think it said that lying in this room counts as perjury. However, currently, where this recording came from is less important than what actually happened." Gran Doma announced with a sigh, more worried about the demon of destruction roaming free, rather than who took a stupid video.

As everyone expected, Gran Doma's statement did not go without retort, as Michelle, Siegrain, and Org all clearly expressed their views on his statement, believing that no detail should be left out, while others like Yakima and Belno believed Gran Doma was correct to prioritize, as some photographer would have little to no effect on the world, compared to Deliora.

"So do you want me to play the lacrima, or not?" Ultear asked with a smirk clear on her face making Natsu chuckle hesitantly while Org rolled his eyes, annoyed at her clear disrespect, especially since she was obviously going to be scrutinized due to the circumstances, and situation as a whole.

"Hey, Ultear? Mind showing them the resurrection as well? Otherwise, this is going to be quite annoying..." Natsu asked with a sigh, only to hear many of the members, including his fellow wizard Saint Siegrain to voice their agreement, curious as to how he did something said to be impossible, that not even veterans like Makarov or Yakima would have even thought of.

And so they watched, they watched as he meditated, and were surprised when they saw him summon Aquarius, as they were not informed he had the possession of, and capability of using a Zodiac key, which almost worried them, if not for the fact that Natsu had trained for years with Laxus and Gildarts, who were easily the two strongest, other than himself.

And they watched, as the other came back to help, with Siegrain noting how strong Gray actually was, compared he had last seen, as his armor seemed to radiate more magic than he thought Gray was capable of. They watched as Gray completely froze the remnants of Ur back into the shell, confusing Natsu since Ultear helped as well,.but he did nothing, not wanting to stir up more troubles than it was worth.

And they watched him complete the spell, and as he almost died, showing his courage, and pure heart that was important not only as a mage, but especially as a wizard saint, because they were all generals of the state in time of need, capable of leasing troops, and if need be fighting to the death so that others may live. And they watched as Natsu practically single-handedly killed Deliora, even after the monster released his limiter, which did worry the council further, even if they noted certain things like Natsu's flames, and why everyone else did little to no damage.

At this point, they didn't even care that Natsu had destroyed the temple, because all it would have done was allowed more people think, just like what Lyon had almost done.

After the lacrima finished playing, specifically after the fire died down from Natsu gates of hell, showing no sign of Dleiora at all, and Ultear was kind enough to show the recording so that it never showed him going forward to Deliora's last stand. Silence enveloped the room, as they all prepared, for any questions, so that they could know, but most importantly learn about what happened, and why. But the thought in the back of everyone's mind, including Siegrain... Was that Makarov, without his Fairy magic, would fall to Natsu, especially after such a show of his control over his flames. They even questioned how he would fare against the four gods, but then realized it would be far too dangerous for anything like that were to happen, making them reconsider certain laws of wizard saints.

"So we're there any signs of Deliora's remains? Or did that spell do something else to them." Gran Doma quickly asked, knowing that fire doesn't only burn, but can contain smells, or even feel cold,.as ironic as that is.

"First off, you have to understand the capabilities of the HellFire Flames," Natsu said as he literally his hand up in a maroon, black fire, startling every council member present, as the room was covered in rooms, preventing anyone from using magic in the room, as some of the arguments or discussions got really heated, and putting nine angry mages in an enclosed room in the middle of a building is very, _very_ dangerous. Plus, it also prevented telepathy or recording lacrimas from being used during the meeting, unless all nine members allowed it.

"Unlike other flames, that consume magic, or the air we breathe, these flames consume magic. Any and all magic, may it be water magic, ice magic, light magic... It is my most taxing, but dangerous fires, simply because it can consume a mages magic container." Natsu said making everyone turn to him in shock, now understanding just why he was able to summon the flames.

"What about the green flames? How do they seem to heal others, and how much magic do they use?" Belno asked, making everyone look at Natsu, curious as to whether the ranks should be adjusted, as he has now two demons of Zeref under his belt.

"In the simplest explanation, they contain pure magic," Natsu said as he literally his other hand in green flames, now confusing the council members as to how he was able to use magic.

"What do you mean they are _pure magic_ ," Siegrain asked, wondering if he wouldn't have to use the Etherion now, as long as he let Natsu chained in his basement.

"What I mean, is that these are Flames of Life, for lack of a better translation, as these are strictly a dragon fire. No God, nor demon can control these, as the dragons gave humans fire, they also gave us life." Natsu explained as he turned his head, looking the blue-haired council member straight in the eyes, the strict tone and seriousness in his face made it so that he couldn't even form the idea of laughing at Natsu's statement.

"Thank you Saint Dragneel, but let's not get off topic. Where are Deliora's remains?" Gran Doma asked once more, understanding he could not hold Natsu at fault, simply because he was simply answering the questions he was asked.

"The Gates of Hell are special. They are like a trial, each one judges the target on different aspects, and we can spare the details since they are less important. But as you saw, each gate opened... And honestly? I've never used that spell, or even those flames offensively on another mage, and I hope you understand why." Natsu said as he looked every member in the face, simply because doing such a thing would be fatal for his target, and while it was acceptable at sometimes to take a mages life, it was also frowned upon, and unnecessary with such a difference of power.

"But... I can say confidently that Deliora will never roam the earth again, or at least, he will never harm another innocent person ever again," Natsu said as he put his hands in his pocket, ignoring Siegrain's scoff as he looked at Gran Doma.

"You're confident? Really?!" What if you just didn't see it, what if someone else was there and took it before you could do anything, as you were clearly too tired to move! What if-?!" Siegrain bombarded making Yakima sigh while Ultear rolled her eyes, until Gran Doma slammed his staff on the ground, making everyone in the room like at the head of the council, even prompting Siegrain to shut up mid-sentence.

"While Siegrain was wrong in the way he said that. But, he is correct. We need proof of his remains or at least a better explanation." Gran Doma explained as he looked at Natsu, making him sigh as he looked at the head of the council.

"... You have heard of the book of Zeref, but more specifically, how the demons are _from_ the book of Zeref, right?" Natsu said as he sighed, looking at the council members while Ultear's eyes shot open in shock, finally understanding what Natsu was doing when he risked using the very, last bit of his magic to flash towards the impact zone, but not _why_ he would want to do such a thing. 'I'll ask him about that when I see my mother.' Ultear thought as she looked at Natsu, curious as to how he was going to get himself out of this.

"When I the gates closed, and I saw no skeleton, nor burnt remains, I think we all know what happened. Deliora returned to his book." Natsu said making the council members gasp, as mumbles began to build up around the room, making everyone worried, since they need to know where that book is.

"And all that was left was his book. And I intended to complete the quest asked of me," Natsu said as he requipped the request and reading it out. "And to do that, I had to not only disable, or capture Deliora, but exterminate him, so that he could no longer walk on this or any other plane. And I burned his book. This is what is left," Natsu said as he requipped some ash, before holding it in front of his mouth, and blowing it across the room, sending the dust everywhere.

"No magic can repair it, as my HellFire Flames completely removed the magic from the book that allowed it to hold Deliora. And if you want a book to read... Feel free to even try and fix it," Natsu said as he looked at the council members around the room, the smirk on his face simply emphasizing his oversized canines, giving him quite the dangerous appearance.

"Thank you, Saint Dragneel. You will be given your reward afterward, including the money for Lullaby as well." Gran Doma announced as he slammed the butt of his staff into the ground, almost like a judge hitting her gavel after making her decision. Siegrain simply smiled, but his eyes told another story, as he once again failed to remove Natsu from the picture, making him more angry than annoyed, especially since Ultear seemed to be less, and less loyal, and with how strong Natsu is now... The tower of Heaven may never be brought to life...

 **Fairy Tail PoV**

To say most of the guild was in shock would be an understatement. As it seemed Natsu wasn't anything like the idiot they thought he was, even if his intelligence relied more on his dragon-slaying observations, rather than pure knowledge, which honestly had its own benefits and pitfalls. And to say Mira, or Makarov, or Cana wasn't pissed, would also be an understatement, b cause nobody but them quite knew how to feel with him attempting to sacrifice himself, in order to give Ur life.

"Natsu, I understand the quest would have required you to dispelled the iced shell and result in Ur's death, but there could have been another way!" Makarov thought, as he jumped off of the table and began to walk into his office, feeling too conflicted and upset to be able the example his guild needed and given by the way Mira had crushed the glass within her hands, shattering it, and cutting her palm... She wasn't either.

Cana dropped her barrel of beer in shock, not only worried for herself, but for Gildarts as well, as he would have been completely devastated that Natsu had died, and then he would never help her tell Gildarts the truth. Laxus would have been angrier than usual and would have blamed the others. Who knows what he would have done...

Sherry looked at Mira, confused as to why she was so upset, but in a way, she could relate. Natsu hadn't beat her into submission, but gave her a chance to listen, and talk. As he was the first friend she had made, in a long time.

Elfman quickly ran forward, using a surprising amount of care a large man as he carefully removed the shard of glass from her palm before moving to wrap it up, only to be stopped by Shiko who had walked forward, her hands becoming enveloped in a glowing green light as she held Mira's cut hand between hers.

Both Mira and Elfman watched in shock as the cut began to revert, with the blood even going back into the wound as it seemed up, almost as if it were being knit back together, and in seconds it was as if it never happened, leaving her palm completely clean and healed, while everyone else looked at Shiko in shock.

But had enough wits about her, to clearly see the silver, ornate ring on Shiko's middle fingers, appearing to be a silver band with two entwined metal strips, with gems on each end. And when the green light died down... The rings disappeared with it.

"That was very manly!" Eflman shouted in odd thanks to Shiko making everyone else laugh, and when Elfman went to walk around the bar, he accidentally kicked Wakaba's bar stool, tipping it so that he fell onto Macao, who flung him off with a condensed ball into Loki, who was sitting at his own table, surrounding by a flock of women, who quickly stood up, sending Wakaba away with a fist full of light into Jet and Droy, starting a fight a guild brawl all over again, with everyone but the team from earlier, Cana, Mira and the new mages standing there, watching in bemused and shock.

Laki sat in the corner of the room, plotting her revenge on the stupid men of the guild,.cringing and gritting her teeth everytime a chair cracked, or a table was broke in two. More than pissed off that they held no respect for the hard work she had put into replacing guild furniture, while Reedus stood in an opposite corner, painting the fight a morose tune to himself, as he even captured Nab still standing at the request board, while Vijateer danced around Flying chairs and punches.

Erza simply sighed before turning to Gray, and the rest of the team, glad that Yukino was now talking freely with both Levy and Lucy, since Jet and Droy were caught up in the fight, in a sad attempt to prove their worth to Levy.

"This is so cool! This means we have more than half of the Zodiac in the guild!" Levy exclaimed excitedly as she looked at the keys that the two stellar mages were holding out in front of her before Gray stepped forward with his hands in his pockets.

"Don't we have eight? When you two were passed out Natsu brought a new goldfish key, didn't see it clearly." Gray said making the three girls look at him, shocking Levy, who was surprised to see him wearing a shirt, for once in his life with no attempt take it off.

"Wait! What do you mean another key! What did he say! What were they like!" Lucy asked impatiently as she appeared in front of Gray's face, making him bend back in shock, as getting too close, even going as far as his hands out of his pockets and holding them out towards her, Palm forward.

"Woah, Woah, calm down. Hey Erza, didn't he say something like the thirteenth gate or whatever?" Gray said as he turned his head to Erza, prompting her to come forward, while noticing Shiko in conversation with both Sherry and Mira, as they all ignored the brawl, keeping an eye on Ur to make sure the guild didn't get too close.

"I do believe that the key was gold, with a black serpent coiling around the key, and he said something about _Opichius," Erza_ explained as she kept her right eye on Ur, too tired to even be angry with herself because of forgetting something important like that.

"What was the spirit like,?!" Yukino asked as she looked at Gray and Erza, worried that there would only be four Zodiac Keys left to find, especially since someone like Natsu seemed to be after them as well. 'four left... I've been searching my life, and the most I can get is six or seven?!' Yukino thought despondently, upset that her lifelong goal could be for nothing.

"It was this huge black snake, larger than Pisces... But what's the deal? Why are they so important? Aren't they just keys?" Gray asked stupidly, narrowly avoid both Lucy's kick and Yukino's punch while Levy simply glared at him, as he spent a day with three stellar mages, and still knew nothing about them.

"Just keys?! They aren't just keys. First off! Spirits have feelings too!" Lucy argued as she looked at Gray, feeling angry that he practically called her, and her mother's magic a magical item, and not a magic itself, making Gray stand there, completely confused and shocked that they had tried him.

"Yeah! And the Zodiac keys are special! You see these keys?!" Yukino argued as she held Libra and Pisces in Gray's face, "There are only twelve in existence! They weren't created by some conglomerate or manufacturer, but are actually living beings." Yukino practically yelled making some of the guild members stop fighting mid-strike to look at the girls, which Wakaba took advantage of, getting his revenge as he used his " _Smoke Rush,"_ sending a plume barreling into Macao and sending him flying into a certain table

Mira watched in horror as Macaos arc reached his peak, sending him plummeting towards the ground, his trajectory to leading him towards Ur, making Gray shout as he fell into his ice make stance, prepared to block Macao only for Erza to hold her hand out, catching Macao by the belt, holding him literally an inch above Ur's torso, before she flung him back into the crowd,.too tired dish out punishment as she turned to Gray, while everyone else literally panicked, running around the room, straightening tables and cleaning any mess their in an attempt to quell Erza's wrath.

"Gray, let's get your master to Porylusica's house... And hope she doesn't kill us." Erza said with a sigh, making Gray nod his head while Shiko walked forward, having been unable to hear her over the chaos, but was able to read Erza's lips well enough to catch what she was saying, excited to see this healer she had heard so much about. And just as they began to move Ur onto a stretched Gray had made out of ice, Erza remembered that they had a few mages without housing, but, Natsu did say...

"Happy, come here," Erza called out, her tired but stern voice catching Happy's attentive ears, making him quickly grab the last fish he was munching on, before flying towards Erza with small thanks, but a large smile towards Mira.

"Aye, sir!" Happy cheered as he stopped three feet away from Erza, his wings keeping him levitated to the point he was at eye level with Erza, who smirked at his cheerful attitude, but more at what she had in mind for the pink haired saint...

"How much space does your home have?" Erza asked making Happy close his eyes as he raised his fishless hand towards his chin, thinking.

"We have about two or three spare room," Happy replied innocently as he looked at the Scarlet haired knight, who almost gained a dark purple aura around herself as she looked at Happy.

"Can you please bring Yukino, Sherry, and Lucy to your house?" Erza said as the sound in the room suddenly dropped, meaning that Mira had clearly heard what Erza said, and was confused, so much so that she walked forward, prepared to ask why Erza was practically forcing three women into her boyfriend's home.

"Erza, may I please know why you are asking them to stay at Natsu's?" Mira asked with an angelic smile on her face, as she practically radiated anger, but still no magic as she looked at the Scarlet haired knight who turned to her with a blank face, knowing why Mira was mad, but finding no energy to taunt the model.

"With Phantoms recent moves, having anyone sleep on their own would be quite dangerous, plus, Natsu practically said he would let Yukino stay with him, meaning that she should be introduced to her new home. Myself and Gray will be joining them after we drop Ur off at Porylusica's, and Shiko as well if she chooses," Erza said with a nod towards the green haired woman who smirked even if she was hoping to stay with the elder healer. Mira sighed, having had almost forgotten about this all, before turning to Elfman, glad that he was still present, before turning to Erza.

"Sorry for getting so hostile, I-" Mira apologized only to be waved off by Erza, who as a woman, could understand why she was so worried, especially after she got to know Natsu...

"It's fine, come on Gray, let's go," Erza said with a sigh as they began to lift the stretcher before beginning to walk up the stairs, carrying the unconscious Ur between them with Erza in the lead, with Shiko bringing up the rear,

 **Happy's PoV**

The blue flying cat sighed as he looked at the woman around him, who were simply looking at him before turning around, having had lost sight of the pinkette as he was gorging himself with fish, that was until he saw her standing behind the bar, looking at the rest of the Fairy Tail mages confused, not understanding why they were so scared of her, especially since her time on Galina had left her practically unaware of what was happening back in Fiore.

"Wait one second," Happy said cheerfully as he turned to the three women to his right, unsurprised to see that Jet and Droy had snuck away from the rest and were back behind Levy, as he spent a lot of more time in the guild than Natsu, and was more than aware of the triangle going on, especially since he spent so much time with Mira.

Lucy simply nodded in confusion before answering another question from Levy as their conversation restarted. Happy quickly flew towards the pinkette at the bar, stopping a few feet in front of her before waving his short, stubby arms at her, breaking her out of her gaze as she turned towards the blue cat in curiosity.

"Want to come stay the night at Natsu and mines place?" Happy asked cheerfully, completely missing the smile that grew on her face when she heard him mention the pink haired man, nodding in acceptance before walking around the bar, showing that she was now wearing an appropriately tight black short sleeve shirt and a pair of black slacks under Natsu's cloak, which was now around her shoulders.

Happy led the way to the stairs before calling out to the girls, who said their good-bye's before joining them on the way up the stairs, before Lucy summoned Taurus, who lifted the rubble for them, allowing them to depart towards the house of Salamander.

 **Gray's PoV**

"I thought you said we were going to this Porylusica woman's place?" Shiko asked as they started to enter the forest on the East edge of Magnolia with the sun beginning to fall once more, which meant they had spent half of the day in the guild, after taking the train ride from Hargeon to Magnolia. which also meant that Natsu had spent almost a day in Era, discussing with the council about Deliora and everything else that went along on the Island of Galuna, making Erza hope that they will not be found responsible for the destruction of the temple, even if they were actually responsible for it.

Gray having had turned the stretcher into a cart with his maker magic as they began to walk through the forest, while Erza had requipped a blanket, laying it over her body, for more comfort than warmth as they began to walk down a barely there path, making sure to lift Ur's cart over the overgrown roots and dips in the earth as Erza led the way through the forest towards Porylusica's house.

"We are," Gray said with a sigh as he continued to push Ur through the forest, anxious for a multitude of reasons, all leading him to be quite conflicted. 'What... What if I didn't put Ur back together properly, what if she doesn't have all her memories or knowledge... What if she never wakes up' Gray worried as he continued to push the cart through the forest, the only sound being the icy wheels rolling over dead leaves and fallen twigs as Shiko lifted the front of the cart over another root, and even from here they could see a large tree, with overgrown reaching out above the other trees by just a few feet, making Erza sigh, memories of her home still ingrained in her mind, from when she was granted her second eye once more, leaving her forever grateful of the Pink Haired hermit.

They continued walking forward, coming closer, and closer to the tree until they finally stopped in front of a large, overgrown tree, as if it had been influenced by magic for growth, rather than growing naturally, since the tree seemed to be at least five metres in diameter, compared to the others, that were one to two metres thick.

"We're here," Erza said softly as she walked towards the large tree in front of her, confusing Shiko, as it was just a tree, there wasn't even a tree house in branches above her, watching in shock as Erza walked forward, towards the tree, watching as the tree began to shimmer, before cracking. The image before her shattered into dust as it fell to the ground, revealing that the tree itself, was actually a house, with a large, wooden staircase leading to an ornate, door with a wooden window two feet to the left.

"Woah..." Shiko muttered in shock as she released the front of Ur's cart as she watched Erza raise her hand, gesturing them to stay back while she slowly walked up the steps, before softly, but firmly knocking on the door once then two times hard, then four times fast, before she stomped her foot once, before she lowered her hand, waiting patiently for it to open while the others stayed back, confused by Erza's unusual knock. They stood in a tired silence for a few minutes before they could hear steps coming from inside, as if someone were walking downstairs, before walking towards the door, their heel clicking firmly on the solid wood floor.

"What do you brats want! Erza, you better have a good reason fo-" Porlyusica stormed, only for her to cut short, with her jaw dropped seeing who, and more importantly what stood before her, especially the woman in the icy cart.

"I am sincerely sorry for disturbing you from your daily routine, but we are in dire need of your expertise and wisdom," Erza explained with a small bow as she gestured towards Ur, making Porlyusica nod her head in agreement as she simply turned around, entering her home once more and opening the second door, allowing Shiko and Gray to carefully, and safely carry the cart, that reverted back into a stretcher, up the uneven, close to rotting stairs up into her home while Erza waited to the side, planning to close the doors once Shiko and Gray were completely in.

Erza carefully closed the door, not wanting to poke the sleeping bear as she looked up to Porlyusica who was walking from shelf to shelf, grabbing different dried leaves and coloured roots before walking into her kitchen, grabbing a mortar and pestle to grind the roots and leaves together, while Erza walked towards the oven, requipping an old style kettle and pouring some water in it before requipping her _Fire Empress Sword,_ and lighting the oven up, allowing the water to boil as she hung the kettle on an old Iron bar that was a foot above the oven bed, just barely touching the flames as the smoke began to funnel out of the tree, from a carefully grown smokestack, which ended up blending through the leaves, leaving her home almost perfectly incognito and hidden .

"What do you think you're doing! Put her on the cot already!" Porylusica screamed making Gray and Shiko rush to carry Ur towards the cot, resting the icy stretcher on the sheets before it quickly dispelled into nothingness, leaving Ur resting comfortably on the cot, making the pink haired healer set the mortar on a nearby table before walking towards Ur, stopping by her side and practically pushing through the two mages as she rested her hands on the woman's face, using her thumb to pull back her eyelids to check for any movement or signs of consciousness, before her hands moved to her neck, checking the strength of her Puls while another snuck to her wrist, making sure that the blood flow was equal everywhere, while Shiko watched in amazement as she quickly determined Ur's state without the use of magic after all.

Gray and Erza watched in anticipation, Gray worried he'll be given bad news while Erza was worried she had messed up, accidentally mixing wrong water in with the rest, thereby tainting Ur, which could lead to her death. Porlyusica sighed after a few more minutes of starting diagnostics before turning around and looking Gray in the eye, knowing exactly who was laying before her, but more what had happened to her, having had heard about it over a night of drinks with Makarov a long time ago.

"You have two minutes to tell me exactly what the hell happened, and how on earth she is laying here before us," Porlyusica said in a calm anger as she stared at the three mages before her, not even attempting to yell at them in anger to get away, her anger of humans overcome by her suspicion at what type of spell was used, and worried about what the consequences were. Even Gray's eye's shot open in shock at the fact they hadn't beat out with a broomstick yet, while Shiko simply stared at the healer with a smirk growing on her face knowing that she was the real deal, and feeling excitement build in her chest at the sheer thought of being able to work with her.

"Natsu did," Erza said as she took a step forward making Porlyusica literally take a step back in shock, having had never thought he would end up being forced to work with both Erza and Gray, even more confused, and worried as to what happened.

"A man who is practically my brother, Lyon, had been using _Moon Drip_ on Galuna Island, melting the _Iced Shell_ for over three years, and somehow... That flame brain came up with a way to bring her back to life." Gray said with a sigh making Porlyusica feel fear grow in her chest, especially since he wasn't here, knowing just how much he meant to Gildarts, Makarov, and even Laxus, and worried what would come of this if he didn't make it out of there alive. Shiko, on the other hand, rolled her eyes, realizing that they were unwittingly painting it out to seem like Natsu had died on the island.

"Saint Dragneel is still alive, he just had to deal with the backlash of killing another demon of Zeref with the council," Shiko said as she walked forward, extending her hand to the healer, who rolled her eyes and slapped her hand away, making Shiko's face drop into sadness.

"Not the time, now what happened?" Porlyusica asked as she turned to Erza, trusting her to give every detail, without wasting time on stupid nonsense, while Shiko walked into the corner, enveloped in an aura of sadness as she sulked in the corner, but everyone was too focused to notice her sadness.

"Natsu concocted a plan, where me and Aquarius, one of the 12 zodiacs, would search the seas for the rest of Ur's essence from the seven seas, while he built up his magic, in preparation to dispel the properties of iced Shell without killing Ur, by preparing both his green flames, and his _HellFire Flames_. Then Gray and Ur's lost daughter Ultear then fused Ur's essence back into the _Iced shell_. Then Natsu dispelled the properties, and Gray turned the Iced Shell back into Ur by manipulating the now, living ice." Erza explained before turning to Gray. "This is where I and two other mages had to now engage the demon while everyone else stayed back, protecting Natsu and recovering.

Everyone then turned to Gray, intrigued as to how Natsu knew this would all work, and curious as to what happened next, since he was the only one who actually saw what happened in the room.

"Natsu then used a forbidden art, I think it was. He summoned a Valkyrie, who restored Ur, and then went to kill Natsu." Gray explained making Porlyusica sigh as she looked back at Ur, annoyed at the costs Natsu would take to do the right thing, as she could only assume that they were requested to kill the demon, which is why Makarov forced those mages to work together and to kill the demon, the would have either had to kill Ur, or try the impossible.

"We all watched, worried for him, even when he prevented us from interfering, dispelling our attacks... and right before her ax made contact she was struck by a massive, red bolt of lightning, and she was gone," Gray explained as he ran his hand across his face still annoyed that a man he practically hated, risked his life to bring his master back.

"That stupid fool... If his father..." Porlyusica mumbled to her self as she went back to the mortar on the table, before walking to the kettle and putting the herb mix into the kettle before stirring it while everyone watched in silence, curious to see a master at their profession in action. Shiko was barely able to catch what the hermit said, turning to the woman in shock as she snapped out of her sadness.

"What do you mean his father? How did that affect anything at all?" Shiko asked in curiosity making both Gray and Erza look at her in confusion, interested to learn anything about the pink haired slayer, making the hermit sigh as she began to stir the dried herbs and leaves into the water, making a tea that would help Ur gain nutrients while she stayed in her comatose state.

"How do you, of all people not know anything about his father?" Porlyusica asked in shock as she turned to Erza and Gray, not expecting the new green-haired woman to know but for people who have been in his guild for over seven years... Both Erza and Gray simply looked at the ground, feeling a bit ashamed of their assumptions and how they treated him, all because they were jealous that a new mage had not only pushed them out of the spotlight and made their dreams that much more unattainable, but because they were jealous of his success, believing it to be because of special help from their senior mages, while they had to grow on their own.

"Oh, for the love of Mavis..." Porlyusica muttered as she took the kettle off the stove, before walking to her table and setting it down on a straw woven mat before entering her kitchen, leaving the room tense of shame and confusion. The silence permeated the air for a few seconds before she re-entered the room, with a cup in hand which she began to fill with the freshly brewed tea, before Gray made to step forward, prepared to cool the tea so it didn't burn her only to be stopped by Porlyusica's glare as she began to rest a clean cloth in the cup before stringing it up over Ur's mouth, confusing everyone but Shiko, who realized she was setting up a makeshift nutrients drip, so that it would not be too much that Ur would choke, but enough so that it would drip down her throat, which should help get ur's body ready for when she wakes.

"When a Valkyrie is summoned, the summoner's fate is decided by a council of judges, who decide the summoners fate based on why they were summoned... Natsu's father is not only the king of Fire Dragons, But the king of all dragons and such is sometimes allowed to give his opinion on matters such as this... Stupid brat was seconds away from having his soul torn from his body." Porlyusica muttered before she realized that the brats were still in her home, tainting it with the scent of greed and destruction.

"What are you still doing here?! Get out!" Porlyusica screamed, flipping completely on a dime startling everyone but Erza who had seen it coming, familiar with how the woman worked, because twice a year she was to return here, to make sure her eye was still working properly, thus allowing her to catch the broomstick barreling towards Gray's face inches before it made contact.

"We have one more request," Erza said with a sigh making the hermit look at her curiously, especially due to who was making the request. "Shiko Higoshi, the woman in the corner, is here to not only watch over Ur as well, but because she would like to train under you, and further her magical healing," Erza explained making the hermit turn to the green haired woman faster than Gray thought possible, with an inquisitive stare.

"Are you a slayer yourself, brat?" Porlyusica asked, making Shiko shake her head making Porylusica sigh as she had never come across a different healing magic other than a slayer ability.

"Fine, come back tomorrow, but Get out!" Porylusica screamed as she tore the broomstick out of Erza's hand before shooing the mages out of the house, including Shiko who had an excited grin on her face, glad that her proposition was accepted. They quickly ran down the steps, before returning on the way to Magnolia, to get some sleep and finally a second to be able to think and resolve everything that had happened over the past few days, especially what they came home to.

"That... honestly went better than I expected..." Gray said with a sigh as they stopped running and began to walk through the forest towards Magnolia, and a warm bed if all went well.

"Agreed," Erza said with a sigh as she began to lead the way back to Magnolia, and towards their place for the night with a tired Gray and excited Shiko in tow, who just couldn't keep a smile off her face since there is probably no better teacher for her in Fiore, other than Porylusica, while Gray was just exhausted emotionally, trying his best to control his anger, because the worst part is that Makarov was right, there was no reason for them to retaliate that wouldn't make the council force them to disband, which only seemed to mix with his worry for Ur, an how he felt inadequate as t even now, he was still too weak to avenge his family, relying on Natsu to kill the demon instead.

 **TimeSkip**

"Are you going to tell me again why, but more importantly HOW you know where Natsu lives?" Gray asked in confusion as he looked at Erza, who didn't actually lead them back to Magnolia, but rather to a different area in the forest, that happened to be directly across town on the other side of the city...

"It is a trivial occurrence," Erza said with a blank face as they stood directly in front of a large, but humble home with a cute sign at the front, saying "Natsu and Happy's house!" With a blue cat's head on the right side, while on the left was a terribly drawn smiley face with pink hair. Gray just continued to look at Erza, a little creeped out by how she knew and wasn't sure he really, _really_ wanted to know just how she did know where he lived, before worrying that she may know where _he_ lives.

"Should we knock?" Shiko asked confusedly as by now, after having walked across the city, the moon was now out, meaning that it was now night time, and it was more than time for them to get some sleep, while Erza simply nodded her head in answer as she walked up the two front steps towards the door before grabbing the goldish metal knocker on the front door, but instead of an animal's head, it was a dragon's maw, it's jaw open and a large metal ring held by its oversized canines, probably a custom build.

Gray simply stood at the bottom of the steps, waiting for someone to open the door while examining Natsu's home, and if he was honest with himself, he was really surprised. 'Honestly... I half expected him to be living in a poorly made shack, that had to be rebuilt constantly due to his lack of control... but in fact, it was actually quite well maintained, with some chairs on the front porch, and a weird welcome mat shaped like a fish... but other than that it seemed like a normal home.

They were surprised when they saw Sherry at the door, having had half expected Happy to open the door. Sherry took a step back, letting everyone in, to which Erza gave her a grateful nod before walking in, with Shiko and Gray in tow, surprised to see a sign at the door saying "Please remove your shoes," having had never expected Natsu to care about how dirty his house was, until Shiko realized he probably didn't want all of those different scents being moved across his house, which would become very annoying, very fast.

Sherry simply closed the door while the mages haphazardly removed their boots, even Erza, who seemed to be too tired to requip her greaves off, simply requipped her entire Heartz Kreuz armor off, leaving her in a simple shot sleeve frilled blouse and a knee length blue skirt as she walked into Natsu's house, completely surprised to see how empty the house was, until she realized he probably had no time to collect trinkets or even make a mess with how infrequently he seemed to stay in Magnolia, rumored to be one of the most active Wizard Saint's, always going on missions when he wasn't training.

She continued to lead the way down the hallway with a silent Sherry behind her, with Shiko and Gray following in that order, as they approached what Erza assumed to be the Living room, since that was where they were hearing voices from, before she walked through the entryway before her, noting just how empty the home was, making her curious about what he actually spent his jewels on, since Natsu seemed to always be working, since you could rarely ever find him at the guild...

She was even more surprised to see Yukino and Lucy sitting across from eachother while another pink haired woman in a maid costume was walking around the room, dusting and cleaning the entire room, but the weirdest thing was that she had broken shackles on her wrists, the chain's broken but dangling from the shackles on her wrists, jingling as she continued to clean.

Erza stopped mid-stride, causing those behind her to stop, confused as to why she stopped, making them fan out around her allowing them all to see the new pinkette in the room, making them think it may have been a sibling, or even relative of either Natsu himself, or Sherry, making them confused as to how she got there so fast, while Lucy and Yukino simply smiled at them, curious as to how Ur was.

"Hello! This is Virgo! My new spirit, Say hello Virgo!" Yukino introduced as she stood up with a huge smile on her face, making Virgo stand straight before walking towards Yukino, curious as to what her master wanted her to do now, before turning to the newcomers and bowing.

"Hello friends of Princess Yukino," Virgo introduced with a bow as she then stood up, before walking towards the mages, making them confused before she began to lead them to their seats, asking if they would like anything to eat, making Shiko smile as she asked for a cup of tea while Erza, of course, asked for some strawberry cheesecake, making Gray roll his eyes as he lounged in the surprisingly comfortable lazy boy like chair as he examined the room, surprised to see the wall's surrounding the room were completely encompassed in shadow boxes and glass shelves, each holding different trinkets or items, like masks or weapons, even cool rocks or skulls that he had found in his travels.

"So what is the deal with Phantom Lord anyways? why did they even risk attacking Fairy tail?" Lucy asked curiously as she sat back in the lounge chair she was in, showing that she was now out of the armor, and back into a pair of more normal clothes, a simple but large t-shirt and a pair of fluffy blue pants, also known as, pajamas.

"Well..." Erza began to explain as she patiently awaited her freshly made Strawberry cheesecake as she looked at Sherry who was silently sitting beside her, before turning back to Lucy and Yukino who were practically sitting on the edge of their seats, excited to learn about their new guild.

 **Levy's PoV**

"It was so nice of you two to offer to walk me home! It makes me feel safe to know you two have my back!" Levy said cheerfully, or as cheerfully as she could since she was still upset as to the condition of their guild while Jet and Droy smiled, proud of themselves, and each trying to argue who was stronger, completely unaware that they were being watched, as two glowing red eyes could be seen in the shadows in the distance, as a malicious laugh could be heard coming from him, startling Team Shadow Gear, making both Jet and Droy look around, worry clear on their face as they each stood across from eachother, in an attempt to protect Levy while they looked for where the sound came from.

* * *

So yeah, I'm closing down the poll, but yay Virgo the new maid of Natsu's House! I know I kinda messed up the first day of the poll, but whatever!

Big thanks to **25NaMi** and any others who helped me decide what to make Shiko's magic, and if you haven't guess yet, then it looks like you'll have to wait! (I have a really, bad memory, so if I forgot to add your name in, super sorry!)

* * *

And onto the reviews!

Natsuharemfan/30- I totally understand that Zoldeo possessing Virgo would make no sense at all, but, who says it had to be Zoldeo? Plus, i just thought an evil Virgo would be kind of cool, while also making this story a lot more unique as well.

Guest 1/29- I will, and am doing my best to get better at glossing over scenes, instead of literally writing everything out, but I promise to do my best so that this arc will not take as long, but, I can't promise to have it done within a few chapters, as that would do the arc no justice, and... yeah!


	32. The Fight for Revenge

And Onto the Story!

 **Team Shadow Gear's PoV**

"Who are you?!" Jet asked he and Droy began circling around Levy, trying their best to find where the creepy malicious laugh was coming from, while Levy simply stood there, feeling worry threaten to consume her heart as she simply watched her friends do their best to try and protect her, while she started to go through the numbers, realizing that their chances of success are greatly decreasing, especially if it was who had attacked the guild earlier this day.

"Where are you? I have to warn you, we are Fairy Tail Mages! You really don't wanna mess with us!" Droy said with false bravado, as even Levy could see his hand resting upon his seed bandolier literally shaking as he continued to search through the darkness, only for the chuckling to increase in both intensity, and volume, shocking all present, as they were now positive that it was a Phantom Mage and not just a random mugger.

"Gihihi, I think I do little fairies," the Stanger replied as Levy gasped, having had spotted two glowing red eyes, hiding behind a dumpster, which only made the man laugh even harder as he stepped out from behind the dumpster, and walking forward, making Jet and Droy stand offensively in front of Levy, gritting their teeth.

"It's Black Steel Gajeel!" Levy squealed as she noticed his iconic piercings to his long black hair once he stepped into the street light.

Gajeel was standing half in the darkness, which only aided his imposing figure, as he stood there at six foot two, his muscles and toned arms crossed over his wide chest, which only seemed to emphasize his guild mark, the black ink dancing in the was wearing a sleeveless, button up cloak, and even from here it was obvious he had torn them off, the frayed and torn edges obvious to a smart eye. It fanned out around his legs, showing his plain beige harem pants, which granted him a full range and flexibility.

"Run Levy! Go!" Droy yelled as he stood his ground before the iron dragon slayer, feeling his anger fuel his bravery, as he knew this is the man who attacked the guild, while Jet was looking back and forth between the slayer and his crush, before turning to Droy, having a silent argument achieved through years of the slayer stood across from them, his arms crossed, amusement dancing his face as he looked at the flies before him.

Levy turned to her team, shocked that they would even try to ask her to abandon her friends, before she saw the pain, and sadness in their eyes, as even they could recognize how little of a chance they had, making tears well up in her eyes.

"Running won't do you any good fairy flies, a dragon always catches his prey," Gajeel said with a malicious smile on his face, the streetlights glinting off his canines, which gulp in fear, before he blurred out of sight, making her shriek in fright.

Surprisingly, Jet was able to meet his attack blocking him with his enhanced speed granted by his magic, his eyes enhanced by as well, making Gajeel's movements seem to take a than longer, allowing him to evade the brutal punches and hard kicks, even if there was no magic behind them, while Jet was already being pushed to his limits, beginning to get clipped by the edges of a punch, or the side of his shoe.

"Go Levy! Run! Get Makarov or Erza!" Droy yelled as he grabbed a few seeds from his bandolier, prepared to help his best friend in the hardest fight they've ever had. Levy simply looked at her teammates, before looking at her hands, realizing that she was practically powerless before someone like Gajeel before she clenched her fists, a hand encompassed in magic as she pointed the index finger in the sky above them.

"Solid Script! Thunder Storm!" Levy shouted as large storm clouds formed in the sky above her teammates, making Jet back off as he huffed, and panted, shocked that been keep up with his speed, before he looked at the glare Gajeel was sending towards Levy, annoyed she had already found the weak point of his magic.

"Go, Levy! Run!" Droy shouted as he pulled a handful of seeds out of his bandolier before he threw them in Gajeel's direction. Levy tore her eyes off of her team as she began to run back to the guild with tears running down her face, knowing that she would have been useless in the fight, hoping to find Makarov in his office so she could get help, especially since they heard that Erza would be at Natsu's, and _nobody_ knew where that was.

" _Chain plant!"_ he shouted as he infused his magic into the seeds _,_ and when they touched the ground around Gajeel they immediately sprung to life, as large, long, thick interwoven vines shot out of the ground, coiling around Gajeel's limbs and whole body, pinning him in the few seconds before lightning struck, attracted to his piercings, making him roar in pain as he was continuously struck by lightning making Jet grin as he continued to pay them, thinking that they may have the upper hand.

"Come on, Attack him while he's pinned" Droy shouted as he continued to channel his magic into his chain plant, until his eyes shot open in shock, as he felt the plant get literally torn apart, As Gajeel roared, annoyed that he was forced to take damage from such weak mages, especially since falling into his _Iron Dragon Scales_ would only increase the damage.

"What?! Are you crazy?! Hit him with all that lightning around, Are you Crazy!? I may be fast, but I'm not that fast!" Jet argued as he stared at his best friend, annoyed that he would suggest such a thing, and that's where he failed.

"You're right, you aren't," A voice said behind Jet, while Droy grit his teeth, knowing his friend seconds from getting knocked out, with a more than likely fist to the back of the head, they would have been surprised at how he was able to move so quietly, but it was probably because he was moving when thunderstruck, hiding the sound of his movements.

"Vicious Plant!" Droy shouted as he slammed his foot into the ground, pouring his magic into the earth below him as a large Venus fly trap shout out from under Gajeel's feet, before it completely encased him within its leafy maw, the acids inside the plant beginning to eat at his clothes as Droy fell to the ground, having had used his strongest spell, panting as if he had run a marathon while Jet stared at Droy in shock, having had never seen him used that before.

'You've gotta be kidding me, how could I let those flies get off so many hits... They're stronger than I thought...' Gajeel thought with a sigh as he channeled his magic into his left hand, turning it into the iron dragons sword, as the teeth on the blade began, attracting the mage's attention on the outside.

Both Jet and Droy watched in shock as they heard something akin to a chainsaw, before they saw a huge black through the cavity on the Venus flytrap, before it burst open showing Gajeel standing on the stem, perfectly balanced as his chest heaved with his clothing singed in certain areas due to the acid in the trap cavity, promising himself to actually try, especially since they seemed to be decent mages... That was until he saw the black haired one on the ground, suffering exhaustion, having had clearly thrown all his magic in that single attack.

"Gihihi, looks like you really are trash, and here I was about together serious," Gajeel taunted as he cracked his neck, lunged at the mages , furious that this trash had even dates to try and hurt him, especially since he still had to catch that _other_ one, even if his senses were going haywire after being eaten alive by the fly trap.

Jet grit his teeth as he risked a second to look back at Droy, before he quickly reached over and grabbed his friend before running side, having had barely missed being eviscerated by Gajeel's sword arm as it slammed into the ground, causing it to crack, shaking the earth almost as if there was an earthquake.

Droy looked at the ground in shock, Hai face he realized it he hadn't moved he would have died, but since he was out ... he was practically as _good_ as dead. He looked Jet in the eye, one thought to go through both their heads. 'We're fucked...'

 **Levy's PoV**

'I need to go faster, they need help!' Levy thought as she continued to run, having had thrown her bag on the ground, lightening the load as she approached the guild, light shining of the poles, impaling the office even from where she was, making tears roll down her face even faster, as she just _left_ her closest friends alone with that monster, even if she did even the playing field, a tiny bit.

Once she reached the guild hall she did her best to try and squeeze under the fallen wooden joist as she continued to cry, the wracking her body as she crawled around in an attempt to get inside the guild, at least inside there she would...

Her thoughts were cut off by the feeling of a large, strong hand grabbing her shoulder, the hand almost completely covering her entire shoulder as she was pulled out of the guild, the once place into the world she has always felt safe, her hands and fingers clawing at the fallen structure around her as she tried to return to her home.

She was lifted the rubble, entirely suspended in the air from the one hand that easily held her up, her limbs flew around her body, as she screamed in an attempt to free herself, her heartbreaking from the fact she was mere inches away from her home.

She clenched her eyes shut, hoping that this was all some terrible dream and that her whole family was safe, everyone was home, and that someone was definitely not turning her around, as she stayed suspended in mid-air by the large hand that was beginning to make her shoulder hurt.

She waited for the hit that would knock her out, unaware that her attacker had stopped short upon seeing the tear stains on her face,.hearing her heart beat so fast he expected it to either stop from being overworked or phase out entirely. And she was so scared, she passed out before she could see the remorseful look on her face, from knowing how much pain they had given, knowing that his guild wouldn't protect him, but run from those that scared him, but these fairies stood up, leaving him conflicted, remembered what could happen if he didn't complete his job.

And everything went black, well, stayed black.

 **Erza's PoV**

"First off, you have to understand legal guilds in general. All legal guilds answer to the magic council, who govern practically everything in Fiore because they are responsible for everything related to magic." Erza explains as she continued to sip her tea while Gray lounged back, still unaware that he hadn't once made even made an attempt to take off his shirt, let alone his pants.

"Isn't that where Natsu is right now?" Lucy asked curiously as she began to soak in the information like a sponge fresh out of its packaging. Happy simply smiled from his hammock above them all, as he watched everyone begin to slowly warm up to eachother, knowing that Natsu had made the right decision.

"That would be correct, he, along with Councilwoman Ultear are currently attending a meeting, instead of all of us having to go, Natsu was kind enough to pull rank as a wizard Saint and go in our steed," Erza explained as she requipped a coaster before setting her tea down on the coffee table in front of her, partially surprised that Natsu had decided for a sitting room, rather than a viewing lacrima room.

"How did he pull rank though, he's not part of the council," Yukino asked curiously as she looked to Virgo who was walking out of Natsu's kitchen, carrying a .strawberry cheesecake, and everyone present simply smiled at the awe in Erza's eyes as she carefully accepted the cheesecake, before carefully cutting it and serving herself a slice, before setting the rest of the cake on the table beside her tea.

"Sorry to interrupt, but is there anything else you need mistress?"Virgo asked with a bow towards Yukino, causing her short skirt to ride up her ass, which Gray quickly noticed, especially since she was practically standing right in front of him. His eyes shot open like a new bottle, while his jaw dropped, causing Erza her eyes as she punched him in the face, implanting him in his seat, but not hard enough that the couch broke, even if it did crack.

"No, that would be all, thank you Virgo," Yukino said with a blush upon her cheeks as Virgo flashed away in a ball of light, for some reason having a frown on her pretty face as she went, making Lucy giggle as only she and Sherry understood why, having had been present through the first summoning.

Shiko watched in confusion as nobody asked for a slice of the cake, having had not been informed by Lucy of the taboo, but luckily didn't ask, as she had already technically relied on them far too much when they have asked for nothing else in return than her friendship.

"Continuing on, he is technically a part of the council, as he is the sixth Wizard Saint, therefore the council can call upon him for the safety of Fiore like they did with Deliora," Erza explained as she took another bite of her cake.

"Why is he the sixth though? What significance does that have?" Yukino asked confusedly as she looked at Erza and Gray, while Sherry simply listened, curious to know more about Natsu and his endeavors in life.

"It means that he is the sixth strongest Wizard in all of Fiore," Gray answered with a tired grin as he stretched his limbs, enjoying the shocked expressions on their face, as they knew he was part of their ranks, but so close to the top four...

"Makarov, our guild master is also ranked fifth, which is one of the reasons that Fairy Tail is renown for being the strongest mage guild in all of Fiore, especially because Gildarts, our ace is also at the level of a Wizard Saint, being one of the only wizards alive that have completed a century quest," Erza explained as she took a sip of tea, partially enjoying the look of shock that passed over everyone's face as they took the information.

"But, the problem is that once you get that close to the top four, it's too dangerous to have them fight to see who is stronger, which would probably never happen anyway since Natsu views Makarov as a grandfather and vice versa," Gray said as he relaxed in his chair, honestly prepared asleep, right there.

"Not only is it also illegal for wizard saints to actually battle due to the sheer casualty rate, but because the after-effects would be quite cataclysmic," Erza explained as she set down her plate, making everyone realize that she had just devoured the entire cheesecake, and they were none the wiser.

'How did she even eat that all... Not to mention so fast...' Shiko thought in shock as she looked at the Scarlet haired wizard, curious as to how often she must train to stay in such perfect shape, while Sherry's eyes were wide open, unable to believe she had eaten that all without any of them noticing, as she thought Erza was still on her first slice.

"Why would Phantom Lord attack then?" Yukino asked confused, having had already been prepared for Erza's addiction, but still found it quite hard, however, she was far more interested in learning more about what she had just gotten herself into.

"First off, before Natsu even reached his current rank, Fairy Tail was already renown for being the strongest guild with our new generation," as she looked at Gray, sharing a smile as they were that generation, "but, before that Phantom Lord was the best," Erza explained making everyone nod, showing that they understood.

"And I don't know about you, but if my guild was replaced for its top spot, I'd be mad, as we would then lose missions and funding... But when Natsu passed Jose in the saints... He was pissed," Gray explained making Lucy cringe, as she knew just how her father would have reacted to such a thing, while the others simply nodded in understanding.

"And so they struck, with both Natsu and me on Galuna Island, with the rest of our S Class on different missions themselves..." Erza prompted, making everyone come to the conclusion that nobody wanted to say. Phantom struck when they were weak.

"How many S-Class mages are in Fairy Tail?" Shiko asked, making everyone turn to her while Erza smiled.

"We have Me, Natsu, Mystogan, Gildarts, Laxus and Mirajane, well, she was anyways," Erza said with a sigh, feeling her heart clench in pain as both she and Gray remembered that terrible day, while the others were shocked.

"The barmaid? She was an S-Class mage?" Shiko asked skeptically, having had found little magic presence in her body while Shiko healed her, which either meant it was hidden so well, with a super intricate seal, or, she had lost her magic entirely...

"She was once the demon of Fairy Tail, but, magic has a weird way of reacting to suffering, she was once my rival, and best friend," Erza said with a sigh, honestly wishing that Mira had never lost Lisanna, even if they would have never gotten this close due to Mira would have never had changed so much, so fast, meaning that they would have still been fighting otherwise.

"Phantom Lord has an equivalent amount of mages, but not in equal strength. They have their element four and Black Steel Gajeel, who is also a dragon slayer, who is more than likely the one who attacked the guild," Gray explained through clenched teeth as his nails dug into his palms, still upset that they could do nothing but sit back as Phantom kept taking cheap shots.

"So what, does he eat metal or something?" Lucy asked, worried, as they all knew how strong Natsu was, especially since it was so relatively easy to fill his container, but if Gajeel had all of this metal in a requip space... Plus, modern construction is full of metal, she just hoped he was restricted to iron alone, even if most teel mixes used Iron in the mixture anyways...

"Unfortunately, which is why Natsu needs to get back and soon," Erza said with a sigh making everyone look at her in question, while she silently hoped Makarov had divided up groups before sending them home, as she herself had forgotten to split them up for safety.

"Why?" Sherry asked confused, making everyone remember that they had not heard her say something since she had joined up with them.

"Dragon Slaying magic is not like any other magic, it is capable of slaying actual dragons, and not just anyone can do that. Their senses and their bodies are enhanced to a point their bones and attacks can break through dragon scales, the strongest substance known." Erza explained, remembering asking Levy about Dragon Slaying magic a while ago.

"Plus, Erza fights with swords, aka, metal. And, after yesterday... I don't think I'd be able to take him on my own," Gray explained with a sigh making silence enveloped the room, as they recognized his strength, especially since he was sure to be one of the S Class nominations this year, and most likely take the title for himself.

Silence enveloped the room as they began to go over what they had learned, making Happy sigh as he jumped off his hammock, Landing on the table with a small crash, making everyone stare in shock, having had forgotten that the blue cat was even there before they looked at him in question.

"Okay, sleeping arrangements, Lucy and Yukino, you get a room. Sherry, Shiko, you share a room, Erza, you get a room, and Gray," Happy paired off before angrin grew on his face, "You get the couch," Happy said before he started laughing making Gray flip him off before he threw his feet up, putting his hands behind his head as he clos d his eyes, while everyone else began to file out of the room in the pairs Happy had made, as Happy guided them to their rooms for the night, before they fell on their beds or cots, and within minutes the house was quiet, as everyone had fallen asleep.

 **The Next Morning, Gray's PoV**

"Excuse me, it's time up wake up Mister Gray," a soft, but kind voice said as he could feel someone or something shaking his shoulder, making his eyes flutter open before they met with the orbs of none other than Yukino's new spirit, Virgo. Gray silently pondered over the fact that she may not have been using her spirits properly, as Virgo seemed to be more of a servant than a friend.

"Um, thanks," Gray said as she straightened back up before returning to the kitchen while Gray rubbed his eyes as he sat up, before extending his arms above his head, and stretching his back, having had found the couch a lot more comfortable than the ship deck he had slept on the day before.

He yawned as he stood up, curling his arms almost like a chicken wing before tilting his back, tweaking his hips before entering the kitchen, surprised to see stacks of flapjacks and a bowl full scrambled eggs with a plate of bacon so full that it was literally overflowing.

Lucy and Yukino were sitting at the counter, talking to Virgo as she began to clean the pans and plates. Erza was sitting at the kitchen table with Shiko across from her, both of them indulging in a luscious brown liquid called _coffee._ But neither Happy nor Sherry were present, but Gray could have cared less at the current since they were all in the building as he accepted the plate Virgo have him with small thanks, before walking towards the table, and getting himself a healthy serving before sitting at the table between the two women.

He began to dig into his food with gusto, ignoring the women's conversations as he enjoyed his freshly made food, until his plate was empty, sitting back in his chair as he watched Sherry stand in the entrance looking over them nervously, only to be dragged in by Happy as he had a firm grasp on her hand, pulling her by her arm and forcing her to walk forward, lest she risk falling over entirely.

"Come on! Natsu wouldn't mind, all we do is buy food anyways!" Happy enoucraged with a smile as Sherry smiled hesitantly as she accepted a plate from Virgo before carefully serving herself some food, making Erza look at Happy, confused as to why she was still so hesitant, before he gestured out of the room to which she nodded, as she excused herself to the washroom, making Shiko nod as she continued to sip on her coffee as she looked out the window to the left of them, surprised that Natsu was able to construct such a home without disturbing any of the wild life, as there were foxes sniffing the bushes with birds singing in the trees, not even ten feet away.

"Explain," Erza said as she looked at Happy, making him roll his eyes before he answered.

"So, Natsu was telling me how Lyon had promised them that they would be able to fight Deliora, but, we all know he had different plans." Happy said making Erza sigh, as Lyon broke her trust, and now that she was alone and practically friendless, especially after losing her family, she's afraid to make more connections.

"Then why comes with us? Why not go with Yuka and Tobi, surely she could have learned with them?" Erza asked confused, only to hear a laugh coming from Shiko who was leaning with her shoulder on the molding on the entrance to the kitchen, having had finished her coffee and decided to join the less than suspicious mages.

"It's because he obviously made a good first impression. From what I'm gathering, Natsu decided to work with her, the enemy, and thus allowing her vengeance." Shiko explained as she stood straight up before joining the mages she was talking to.

"I'm just surprised he didn't make that type of impact on his guild," Shiko said with a side glance, showing just how intuitive she actually was as she seemed glaring at Erza while Happy smirked, curious as to how Erza would explain this.

"Natsu is observant, yes, but he's not necessarily the brightest... Which is why everyone was in disbelief that he actually took on an apprentice. It takes a lot more than strength to teach," Erza explained making Shiko roll her eyes at the Knights sad excuse before sighing, deciding to ask the man in question later.

"When are you guys going to start fixing up the guild?" Shiko asked curiously, noticing that yesterday everyone was trying to come tomorrow with the situation, especially when they're stronger mages were out, with everyone else too depressed to do more than work.

"Today, and we're late," Erza said as she looked out the window as the other mages began to trickle out of the kitchen one by one, as they went to their respective rooms before changing into something, or at least making themselves presentable.

After everyone filed out of the house, refreshed and full as they departed towards the guild while Happy locked the door, feeling a curious anxiety build up in his chest due to the fact that they have had no word from Natsu yet, which is very disconcerting. Plus, he was worried about the guild, as it was obvious that Phantom Lord taunted them, and they didn't take the Bait, making him worry about what would happen next.

The walk to the guild was ominous and quiet, the usually busy and bumbling streets of Magnolia were dead and silent with the very rare magic mobile or a stranger on the sidewalk. This the mages move at an increased pace, as it meant one of two things, and honestly, neither of them were good.

The mages were practically running by the time they found the citizens of Magnolia, all crossed around the park, with whispers and gasps flying through the crowd like a storm. Erza and Gray were quick their way through the crowd, a path made for them by the citizens as they recognized their stalwart protectors. Lucy and Yukino, Sherry and Happy, and finally Shiko flowed as well, be enticed by Gray's and Erza's magic skyrocketing, literally pushing nearby people to the ground as they stared at a tree in front of them in pure shock.

Upon the tree, with their clothing nailed to the bark, were Team Shadow Gear, both Jet and Droy seemed to be injured, with busted lips and cuts scattering their bodies, while Levy's coat was torn open, with Phantoms Guild Mark painted on her stomach in pure black ink. Only Lucy took a second why in injured, her only ailment seeming to be her unconsciousness.

"Get them down!" Shiko demanded softly, prompting Happy and Gray to dash forward,.pulling the most Jet off first, Gray using his icemaker hammers, tearing the long iron nails out of the tree while Happy braces the man to his body, supporting the weight as to not jostle their injuries. Happy then carefully laid Jet on the ground, before flying over to Droy, repeating the process once Lucy and Yukino approached Levy, trying to prod her, and see if she had any head injury, that had prompted her unconciousness.

Shiko had already begun working on Her, her hands enveloped in a luminous green glow as the cuts and bruises on Jet's body quickly healed, while Happy and Gray laid Droy next to her, quickly tearing his shirt open, as Happy thought he had smelt blood, only to grimace upon seeing a large, black bruise on his toned stomach, meaning they had been beaten into unconciousness, which only enhanced their anger further.

Sherry simply stood there in shock, unaware as to how someone would deal such brutality to kind people, curious as to why they struck now, with larger forces picking them off one by one, remembering the days when they had to research the proper incantation for Moon Drip, which required them going through council records, who were too embarrassed to release such news to the media.

She turned around when she heard the crowd tussling behind her, a forlorn look enveloping her face when she saw Makarov and Mirajane pushing their way through the crowd, taking a back in worry as she remembered the old man's strength, knowing he to seeing his beloved guildmates assaulted, especially in such a brutal and public way.

When the two mages finally caught sight of their friends, tears quickly began running down Mira's face as she ran forward, helping to look over and tend to Levy while working on Droy, glad to see no signs of sexual assaults upon the small bookworm, even if she was surprised to see that she was, with or bump on her head even, which would show she was knocked out.

Makarov quickly lost the battle over control, anger having successfully fought back his soldiers and pillaging his fortress of calamity, his magic shooting up around him, creating a pillar of light magic around his body, reaching higher than the tree, ending as tall as the largest building, making some pedestrians even pass out from the force, while others were thrown to the ground.

"I can take the jabs at our pride, and the assault on our Guildhall, destroying the bar we call a home. But to dare .children?! Phantom Lord! This means war!" Makarov yelled in anger as his walking sticked shattered within his hand, sending splinters everywhere as his body rapidly grew in size, revealing his magic to Shiko, Yukino, and Sherry as they watched in shock as he gently lifted Jet, and a Droy in one hand, while his mother was laid flat on the ground, allowing Shiko to carefully get on while Erza placed Levy in the middle of his palm, allowing Shiko to begin her work on the petite bluenette.

Makarov quickly began making his way towards the guild, with the other mages including Mirajane quickly running behind him in an attempt up, as he gently set the two boys in his grasp on the ground, before he practically swung all the degree, blocking their entrance into the basement aside, making members bolt up the stairs in shock, having had been worried when one of young Romeo's friends had snuck in, asking to see the master.

Elfman, Wakaba, Laki, Macao and Cana and Nab stared in shock as The unconscious bodies of two thirds of team shadow gear, but at Makarov's titan form, as he has _never_ been pushed this far, not that this was the limit of his magic, but he rarely uses it, so for him to enter stage two...

Makarov then gently laid Shiko and Levy on the ground, making everyone see the large phantom Lord guild mark on her pure alabaster skin, the black ink being of stark contrast to her white skin, making the men flare up in anger, as his magic, quickly asked her brother to move Levy into the basement, and right when Shiko was about to follow him down the steps, Makarov reached out with his left hand,.making Yukino and Sherry stare in shock as his arm literally stretched towards her, catching her wrist, and prompting her to turn around.

"As but a request for an old man who cares for his children, Please stay and help brats, I can pay any price for their safety and health" Makarov said as he caught Shiko's eyes, who almost wanted from how much he cared for his guildmates, seeing the pure love he held for each and every one of his brats, as he so fondly called them.

Shiko simply nodded her head, unable words in her mouth as she followed Elfman into the basem t, before Gray and Happy brought the unconscious but healed Jet and Droy down the stairs, which made him glad that he was not there soon enough to see their wounds.

He turned to the rest of the mages around him, but more importantly as he looked to Yukino and Sherry, making them curious as to what he would ask.

"I know you are not my brats, and that this is not your war to fight. My children, their family, have been attacked, whether you decide to join our guild or not, I thank you for your support, but this is not a conflict I would wish on anyone, so I ask that you not interfere." Makarov asked as he looked at the newcomers, making them shocked, as they half expected him to beg for assistance, but were even more surprised when he asked them to step this out for _their_ safety. But, this only fueled their want to help, even more, making even the timid pinkette of their decision as they each uncovered the respective are they wished there to be. His honest, kind sentiment had won them over, having had already experienced the calm and kind atmosphere but to be cared about who you are... and not what you do.

"It is our fight, so get us our marks. These are our friends too." Yukino said confidently making everyone look at them in shock, but also in appreciation, glad to have mages by their side. Makarov literally had a tear running down his cheek as he gestured Mirajane to go retrieve the stamp.

"The same for you as well then, Sherry Blendy?" , making everyone turn to the quite pinkette, who had a confident look on her face as she turned to Makarov, looking him dead in the eyes.

"Natsu is not here to fight for his family, so I will fight for his love, just as he did for me," Sherry said firmly, her voice confident and full, carrying across the land, even heard the basement, making Mira pause on her way up the steps while Shiko and Elfman looked at her, unsure as she would take the pinkettes statement. She paused for a few seconds, before continuing on her way, her smiling face a mere facade as she held the stamp in her hands, feeling doubt attempt to ransack her mind as she tried to stay confident, knowing the odds were not in their favour, and perhaps, not even in hers either, even after everything.

She then approaches Yukino after she finished ascending the steps approached Yukino who was holding her shirt up, revealing her flat stomach and pure skin, and for once, the men weren't being Pervez and taking peeps, as Mira pressed the stamp to the left side of Yukino's abdomen, before removing it, revealing a white, Fairy Tail Guild Mark, catching the attention of the late arrives, including Loki, Max and Warren and Reedus who were staring at their guild, but the mages before it in shock, unaware of team shadow gears condition.

The incoming mages continued their approach, as they watched Mira approach, Sherry, placing the stamp against the middle of Sherry's back, revealing. Tail Guild Mark as she let her shirt ride down her back, making the eye of his incoming brats, before turning to Happy.

"Happy, go find Mickey, and head to Era, she knows the direction on where to fly and how there fastest, let her deliver this," Makarov explained as he pulled a letter with the Fairy Tail Seal holding it closed to Happy, who it in his backpack. "To Yakima, it explains everything with proof of Phantoms assaulted, furthermore, taking a picture of the Phantom mark Pai ted on Levy's abdomen, this should make them release Natsu into the fight," making everyone feel an of hope build in their chests, knowing nobody but a Dragonslayer, could defeat another slayer.

Happy was off with a salute and an "Aye Sir!" Making a few of the girls giggle as he flew into the basement, as the new coming mages joined up with the rest, waiting for Makarov's guidance and insight. as he mulled over which idea to take, whether they should storm the fortress or ambush them right outside their home.

Silence enveloped them as they waited for Makarov's orders, as more mages like Vijateer, Bisca and Alzack trickled in, making a crowd from outside the broken Guild as Happy And a blue bird with a black top hat flew out, heading towards Era making smile appear on some faces, before they heard their master clear his throat.

"The following mages coming with me to storm their guilds while the rest of you will stay back, especially since it is unclear why Jose would risk invoking the council's wrath over something so trivial. Cana, Erza, Gray, Lucy, Yukino, Sherry, Macao, Wakaba, Max, and Loki will come with me." Makarov said, surprising Lucy and Yukino's who didn't believe they deserved the right for vengeance, rather than Elfman or Alzack, who have been here longer. The new, unnamed mages who had tried guild were disappointed but agreed with their master that sending their stronger mages in a controlled form, with assault plan would fare much better than many mages simply attacking in rage.

"Umm, Master, are you sure? Clearly, there are other mages better suited-" Lucy began before she was interrupted by the older man. Elfman would have agreed, but seeing how mad master got, there is just how bad their injuries were, and since they showed they had no qualms about dishonoring women... He was grateful he was allowed to protect his sister, as is the duty of a man.

"Lucy, you are a member of our guild, not to diminish the fact you are a strong mage and paired with Yukino you two can be unstoppable." as everyone in agreement, before last Strauss siblings.

"Please help Shiko, and see if you can get those three to Natsu's house, it's safer, especially if they have a strong slayer," Makarov said with a smirk making both Elfman and Mira smirk as they walked inside, prepares to move Team Shadow Gear to safety. "And don't worry about the guild it is simply a symbol of our bond, not the entirety of it, a building can be rebuilt, but friends and family cannot." sternly as he looked at all mages present, not wanting them to panic or become enraged if Phantom were to try and destroy their spirits.

He was met with a chorus of yes and aye as he began to look around him before turning to Erza, the .the time it took to heal team shadow gear giving them all enough time to cool down, and allowing them to actually plan, especially since they were obviously trying to goad them into something.

"Let's win a war," Makarov announced ominously, his and full of unbridled rage as Erza requipped a map and bringing it forward, causing the assault team to circle around the two, prepares and more attentive than ever so that they could speak revenge for their fallen friends.

 **Happy's PoV**

"Where to now?!" Happy cried over the roaring wind in his ears, which threatened to tear his bag off of his back if it was not magically detachable only on command, a gift from Freed a year ago when they aknolwedged Happy's strength, which was the only thing that kept him from being tossed around in the swirling winds, as they were thousands in the air, barely above he strong currents swirling in the sky, planning to use it for faster travel, a strategy rarely used due to the danger, but it was a necessary evil.

"Head South West!" A quiet, chirpy voice said from within his pack, showing that Mickey was literally hiding within his bag, her small frail body in bird for would have been thrown and torn around in these high winds, leaving only her head peaking out,

Happy simply sighed as he dived back into the deathly currents, disappearing from sight within a split second. The only thought on his mind was hoping that he still had Natsu's Wizard Saint Emblem in his bag, as entering the council head office on Era would be a very difficult process.

 **Natsu's PoV**

"Why were you on Galina Island, Mr. Vastia?" A dark-haired rune knight captain questioned as they were in an interrogation room, sitting at a from Lyon Vastia, the one charged for attempted murder, reckless endangerment, manslaughter, possession of a deadly weapon, Breaking and Entering, Assault, and Public Destruction. 'How on earthland did they pile all of those charges together?' Natsu questioned with a sigh as he watched on beside Ultear and Gran Doma behind the one-way view glass.

"I was there... In an attempt to free Deliora from the Iced Shell, for vengeance of everyone that had died on his rampage through Brago," Lyon answered as he looked at his hands, unable to look the captain in the eyes, the guilt of almost killing the one woman he viewed as a mother being too much to bear.

"Interesting... The statement from the Sixth Wizard Saint, Natsu Dragneel the Bane of Zeref, said that you were angry, upon hearing of Deliora's death, you were angry, jealous even, as you claimed he had just stolen you're only chance to Surpass Ur." The Rune Knight Captain read off of his papers before him.

Natsu turned to the council members around him in shock, confused as to why they gave him that nickname of all things, and his response was a flirtatious wink from Ultear, before she turned back interrogation room, wanting to watch this man feel the wrath of justice, lest he suffers her own.

Lyon remained silent, making the long-haired captain sigh as he began to flip through Natsu's statement, making the man himself roll his eyes, as he knows Ultear must have tweaked it because he _definitely_ did not write the last part down.

"It says here that you conducted the ceremony alone," the captain voices skeptically as he looked up at the white-haired man in cuffs, surprised him nod his head in agreement, 'The others did it for pure reasons... They do not need to rot with me.' Lyon thought resolutely, as his last wish, would have been to hear her voice once more, but he did feel comfortable in knowing that she was under Dragneel care, since he would be able to protect her, along with his fellow student and their guild.

"That's funny, because while you were sitting in that cell... I was doing research, and there is no way that a would have been able to conduct the ceremony," He says, making Natsu internally cringe as he was surprised how good this man was, making why Gran Doma had requested him for this case.

"There... I had followers, victims of Deliora's rampage... They were aiding me in the ceremony, all under the promise that I alone would be the one to defeat him." Lyon said quietly, having a sinking feeling in his chest as to where they were since he last saw them... His eyes shot open in shock, but fortunately, it went unnoticed, as he was at his hands. 'They were present for our fight... On top of the Temple... I- I Killed them,' Lyon realized, which .his guilt like gas to a flame.

"And where would these followers be now? They are not in custody, nor were there any reports from either Dragneel or the Rune Knights at the harbor, which would indicate a lot of people having had been brought to port.

"They're dead..." Lyon said quietly making Natsu's eyes shoot open, a movement Gran Doma's wise eyes caught as he turned his hat bearing head to the pinkette.

"Were you not aware of this? I did not believe it possible that you such a detail, Dragon Slayer," The old man asked, his voice deeper than the ocean making even Ultear wince as she had forgotten about them, but they were simply collateral damage, now that her mother was back.

"I froze them atop the temple, during the fight with Gray Fullbuster," Lyon said through heavy breaths as the guilt of his actions rained down upon him, like a volley of arrows.

"Add Mass Murder, to his list of charges," The man said with a sigh as he began to remorse than before him behind bars, even if he now felt guilty.

Natsu's mouth opened in protest before a kick to his shin made him close his mouth, rather making him turn to Ultear, only to be shut down by the stern look on her face, indicating that they talk about this in a safer spot. Gran Doma simply Ignored these interactions but set them as this would be an important public trial if it even went that far, but it would aid this public rating if this got out, as long as they tweaked it the right way...

"And how do you please to the charges of assault, breaking and entering, public destruction, Possession of a deadly weapon, manslaughter, reckless endangerment, murder, and Mass Murder, which tolls up to... Life in prison." The council knight asked as he looked at the man in question, who sighed before looking up, the determination upon his face as he looked at the captain.

 **Phantom PoV**

Their bumbling of malicious intent, amused at their master's ingenious plan ran rapidly through the air, destroying the Gajeel so desperately needed from his spot in the corner of the room, where he sat at the furthest table, eating a bowl of complementary metal from Jose as well done, for not his job perfectly, but for also showing their dominance over Fairy Tail.

"Hey, Gajeel! Good job on bashing those Fairies, but it seems like they have some teeth eh?" A random less about, let alone remember their name said making Gajeel roll his eyes before the nails in the bench shot out, before impaling the man's arms, making him cry out in pain, dulling the rumble of the guild reduced to less than a whisper as everyone witnessed Gajeel's usual brutality, making them curious as to what had him so conflicted.

'Why did her tears make me , why did her sobs make my heart clench in pain, and why did her cries feel like physical blows,' Gajeel pondered stupidly, unaware of the outside forces in action, until his head shot up with a malicious smirk growing on his face as he stood up, before disappearing in a flash .and Gray, making the untrained eye struggle to follow his inhuman movements as he scaled the way up onto the rafters above them making them curious why, until they heard the guild shake, with the door shakingas the sound of cracking wood could be heard, but the door did not fall.

They quickly caught on, shooting up out of their seats as they all summoned their respective magics, as only the most trained ears could hear the ruckus outside.

"Seriously Gray?!" A feminine voice shouted in anger, before there was silence once more, as the door was completely covered in ice, before it literally flew off its hinges, it's tall, wide frame slamming into the mages behind it, as it flew towards the wall behind them, carrying along some of the mages with it.

With the door off its hinges, the phantoms looked the fairies straight on, daring the otherwise to be the first to move, only for dozens to appear in the air as they flew towards the phantoms, making their maker mages struggle to construct a wall strong enough to withstand the subsonic forces they seemed to y at, only as the blades completely passed throughthe wall, with only the hilt and Guarda getting stuck, leaving them sighing in relief, before a huge, over sized wrinkly hand shot through the wall, the whole plan to obscure their vision a successful while Gajeel watched from above, a blank look in his face as he hoped that Jose's plan was a success, otherwise they're all doomed.

"Fairy Tail has come calling, you pathetic phantoms!" Makarov yelled, as hia mages tore through the walls with the old man leasing the charge with everyone preparing their respective magic, while the phantoms that were still on their feet charged forward as well, but nobody but Gajeel noticed a certain Knights lack, making him squint his eyes as he looked through the fight below, watching as Gray efficiently created a path for Makarov, not that Phantom was opposed to such a thing, but the scarlet haired requip mage was nowhere tombe seen, as purple fire, light, smoke, and sand rained upon their forces, sufficiently blinding and restraining their mages, even if the Fairies were severely out numbered, making Gajeel wince, as the plan was already failing.

The light attacks from the Fairies causes an of light to come from the door, but Gajeel was able to catch even the slightest glimpse of a bodysuit shadow, making him grin as he lifted his arm, a large pillar of iron at least a foot wide shooting towards the path of the shadow, even as smoke tried to push it aside, he held strong strong as the pillar seemingly slammed into the ground nicking the redhead in the shoulder, revealing her for all in a scaled bodysuit, as she held her shoulder, her faceless green head shooting towards the ceiling, most likely glaring at the slayer above, who simply smirked before jumping down.

"Master! I have been delayed, I cannot promise to follow!" Erza, making everyone grin as even with a bad start, everything was going exactly as they planned. Makarov did not calm his rampage, as he continued to walk through the phantom mages, sending them to the walls with his enlarged hands, as he continued his way to the stairs.

"Your presence is already revealed and their ace has shown face, attack without relent!" Makarov commanded as he began to storm up the stairs, and by the third step his anger was too great, as he enlarged his legs, growing rapidly in height before stepping onto the second floor, his enlarged the distance within a second as he began to storm through towards what he assumed to be the master's office, the building beginning to shake as he disappeared from sight, as Erza began her battle with the Iron Dragon Slayer, quickly Requipping out of her Lizard Queen Armor, into her Heavens Wheel Armor.

"Purple Net!" Macao cried as a large purple magic circle formed in front of him, before a large purple net made completely out of fire shot towards the rushing mages, who dodged torrents of sand and billows of smoke, which lead them straight into the experienced mages trap getting stuck under his net as they were pushed to the ground, before getting struck by lightning, courtesy of a depressed Deneb, as Sagittarius continued to rain deadly arrows upon their rushing forms.

"Sand Blast!" Max shouted as a brown magic circle formed in front of him, as he stood before both Celestial Spieitages, keeping the hordes away from them while Lucy lashed anyone that got too close.

"Explosion Cards!" Cana called out from the middle of the group, the on the right, and Loki on the left, with boy Erza and Gray going hand to hand within the fray. She pulled a dozen cards out of what seemed to be thin air, before flinging them at the ground before the oncoming Phantom Mages, and they each dug ground, and practically exploded two seconds after contact, sending fire, winds, and smoke exploding in the mages faces, while also destroying the floor, a moat around their assault force, aiding in their protection.

Sherry, on the other hand, was focused on using their guild against them, forming small, distractions out of tables, lamps and even the cutlery around the room, to come alive and jump out, distracting the phantoms at the very last second before they were hit by a blast from Wakaba or Cana.

"Lion's Brilliance!" Like cries out as he stuck to their assault form, shooting blasts from his body, blinding the charging mages, who acts almost like a horde of zombies, allowing Wakaba, Macao, and Max to take more mages out with fire, Smoke or Sand.

Their plan did not take into account much defense, but that is why Erza and Gray were in the fray, but Makarov did not expect Gajeel to show his face in the guild, which is why he had kept Elfman, and their gunslingers back, knowing that they able the defenseless.

Gray risked a glance back, continuing to fend off the attack with his Shield, while he struck down foes with his cold Excalibur, worried to see that some of his friends have taken enemy fire. Wakaba seemed winded, not smoking so much, but due to a burn mark on the left side of his chest, due to.a ball of fire having had made its way through Max's Sand wall Into the crowd.

Macao was leaning heavily on his right leg, his left thigh having been impaled by a stray arrow. And Max seemed to be favoring his right arm, his left shoulder having been hit by a flying sword from Erza's Gajeel, and he had moved in front of Yukino to take the hit.

"Lucy! Yukino! Fall off of defense, activate plan _brutality_ ," Gray called out as he raised his shield, his whole body encased by ice due to his _Armor_ which allowed him strikes from more than one weapon, due to it increasing his strength, by supporting his arms and legs, as he kept a lower centre as he tilted his shield, sliding their weapons off and putting them off balance.

Lucy and Yukino looked at eachother, before turning to Sherry, as they both raised their keys and Max used all the magic he had left, as he formed a huge wall of Sand before them that stood seven feet tall, and at least a foot wide, making the sand mage fall to his knees in exhaustion as both Deneb and Sagittarius disappeared in a flash of light, the day between fights allowing the archer enough time to recover from Deliora's blast. Sherry stopped all of her small creations, as she stood behind Macao and Wakaba, her focus completely on her dolls, but now no longer as a large magic circle formed on the ground.

"Open-" "Gate of the golden" "of the northern star!" "TAURUS" "Polaris!" Both mages yelled summoning their respective spirits in front of them, each using their strongest melee spirit. The pink bear looked to the bipedal man-bull, who nodded before they smashed through the sand wall before them, before smashing into the forces behind it, who had taken the time to recover, turning the tides of the battle to the Fairies as more and more Phantoms were flung around with broken limbs and deep cuts as cries of pain became the medium of the room.

"Doll Make! Wood Golem!" Sherry shouted as the very ground beneath the phantom mages exploded in up into the ceiling, as a large golem made out of earth and wood crawled out of the hole, the wood flooring swirling around the golem at it formed armor on it as it began to tear through the enemy mages, making Sherry grit her teeth as she was now pushing both her mind, and magic to the max, having to be carefuly not to make the whole room itself collapse upon them, as not everyone would be able to survive something like that.

"Ice Make Knuckles!" Gray shouted through his pants as a large magic circle covered the floor, making huge icy fists shoot out of the ground, slamming into the off-balance mages and sending them into the sky, the angle they shot out at forcing them back upon the horse, pinning more mages down as Gray began to curse his luck, wishing they had brought Laki, Alzack, and Bisca with them at least, even if Elfman could have torn through the hordes with screams of Man! Reaching their unconscious ear.

He risked turning to look back at Erza gritting his teeth Gajeel seemed to be perfectly fine fending off all her attacks with his hand sword?!

Unbeknownst to anyone, not even Erza recognized the wince on Gajeel's face, having had been partially sure, but now it was concrete that their target was in fact in the guild, which meant that their whole plan was a failure and that Juvia and Sol were wasting their time scouring Magnolia for the dumb blonde.

 **Natsu's PoV**

"- I plead guilty... Their lives and their blood is on my hands, and their deaths are in my conscious, this is the only way I can hope to atone for my sins," Lyon said as he looked at his hands, as Lahar held out his pages, and giving Lyon a pen to sign, so that Lyon would be able to sign, proving that he was concurring with their statement. Gran Doma sighed before the wall to their left lifted into the air, as he led the way out of the observation room, before meeting up with the Rune Knight Commander in the hallway outside.

"Good job as always, Commander Lahar," Gran Doma congratulated the long dark haired man as he turned towards them, closing the door to the interrogation room behind him with his left hand, letting Natsu finally take the commander in whole.

He had long black hair in a bun at the back of his head, with bangs framing his face, and a few hairs dusting his forehead. His white cloak was held on his body with a large, ovular opaque green pendant on his sternum, which was covered by a tight, skintight cerulean blue long sleeve shirt, which had a black ankh covering the entirety of his chest. He was also wearing a long, blue with a magenta edged cloak with white pleated pants and gloves.

"Thank you, councilman," Lahar replied with a bow towards them all, staying down for over three seconds before he straightened back up and turned to Natsu.

"I do not believe that you included all the information on what occurred, even if Deliora is now dead," Lahar said sternly making Natsu sigh as he looked at the man who seemed too intense to be real.

"I promise, that everyone who is guilty is now paying for their crimes," Natsu said with a smirk on his face that made Ultear roll her eyes, as Gran Doma simply looked at the saint, using his own judgment to determine whether or not he should listen to the devious pink-haired man, before sighing as he began to walk down the hallway to his personal office, with a squad of rune knights practically appearing out of nowhere before swarming around the head of the council, and escorting him towards his office, making Natsu snicker since his entourage completely filled the hallway.

"Please do show your respect towards Gran Doma, because he does have strength, even if he is obligated to have an entourage simply because of his rank." Lahar chastised Making Natsu smirk as he looked at the strict man, having a sneaking feeling in his mind that he wouldn't get along with the "by the book" commander, especially since he was such a laid back individual.

"Oh, I respect him..." Natsu said with a smile on his face, making Lahar roll his eyes, as he turned around, and walked down the opposite side of the hall, even if he had a small, but a barely visible smile on his face.

"You know, I think that's the first time I've ever seen him smile," Ultear thought aloud making Natsu shake his head in amusement as they began to walk down the same hallway behind Lahar, talking about whatever came to mind, but avoiding talking about anything related to Deliora, since every hall and room seemed to be full of an array of recording lacrimas, that were difficult to find, even for someone like Natsu, but not to say that he couldn't, just that he was too lazy to...

They paused on their walk towards Ultear's own office, a perk of being part of the council, until Natsu raised his right hand, making Ultear pause and wait, knowing that Natsu must have had a reason to pause, and she waited in silence for a few seconds before they saw the small, and frail form of Yajima hobbling towards them.

"I apologize for interrupting your pleasant conversation, but please, do you know where Ur is now?" Yajima asked quietly, making Natsu and Ultear look at eachother, before turning to the small man, knowing that this was, in fact, a concern of theirs, because with Ur now alive, this meant that Ultear would be spending, even more, time than usual away from the council, to which she had a right.

"As far as I am aware, she has been brought back to Fairy Tail, along with Shiko Higoshi, a healer that had found a home on Galuna island as she attempted to reverse their curse. Ur will always be watched over by myself and Porylusica," Natsu explained as he knelt down before the man, making Yajima sigh as memories of their quests as teenagers, along with Bob, the current master of Blue Pegasus, Goldmine, the current master of Quatro Cerberus, himself, Maki, and... Rob.

"Very well, please do try and keep me up to date with her progress," Yajima asked as he turned around, before wobbling back down the hall, making both Natsu and Ultear confused as to why he was so interested in her well being, before they shrugged, and continued their way to her office."

 **Erza's PoV at the beginning of the fight**

"the Titania in the flesh, shame to see you won't be able to follow your master, seems even he knows Jose is stronger," Gajeel smirked as he crossed his arms in front of himself, as he blocked the knight's path towards Makarov, as he continued to rampage towards Jose's office. Erza simply sighed as she rolled her shoulders, making sure that she still had a full range of motion, otherwise her chances of winning just got a lot slimmer.

Other phantom mages quickly caught sight of the more than alluring, curvy form of the Scarlet Haired knight, all wrapped up in what was practically dark snake leather, making them all smirk maliciously before they honed in on her, with swords raised, making Gajeel frown before his magic shot up around him, as he unfolded his arms, turning them into long, and strong pillars of iron to shoot out, before he swung his arms out, smashing his guild mates away into the walls, making everyone look at him in shock, especially Erza.

"Why would you do that to your own Guildmates! This is supposed to be a place of friendship and safety, why would you tarnish such bonds?!" Erza seethed as she noticed that phantoms insane amount of members seemed to now avoid them at all costs, creating a large, ten-foot diameter circle around them, which was pretty much all the berth they could grant the two senior mages within the guild, while still trying to keep damages to the low, something that the Fairy Tail mages seemed to not care about at all.

"They were trying to step in on the best fight I might even get all year, no way I can let them take you out before I take my shot," Gajeel said with a smirk as he turned his left hand into a large, long sword, with vicious looking spikes along the whole blade, that began to revolve around the blade of the sword, revving like a chainsaw making Erza squint her eyes as her body was enveloped in a flash of light while Gajeel simply grinned.

"This is my Iron Dragon's sword, capable of piercing and slicing through dragon scales, let's see how your's hold up," Gajeel said as he observed Erza's Heaven's Wheel armor, completely ignoring the extra dozen of swords Erza had flying around her body, that she sent towards when she pointed her sword at him making them swirl towards him at hypersonic speeds while he just smirked before he crouched, and lunged towards the swords, jumping in the air and stepping upon the first sword that was sent before him, before moving his left hand up, redirecting the next two upcoming swords into the wall behind him, while silmultaneously directing the sword into the ground as he jumped into the next 9 swords, before throwing his right shoulder towards the ground, causing his whole body to spin as he held his left arm out making an almost horizontal tornado of iron as he smashed into the nine swords, redirecting them into the wall behind him, before Erza realized that he was head straight before her, making her jump into the air, as her large metal wings flared in the air, risking a second to look at her twelve swords, shocking her at what she saw.

All twelve of her swords, were somehow pinned to the wall, such that they outlined the Phantom Lord emblem, while Gajeel dug the tip of his sword into the ground, twirling his body so that he landed on his feet facing Erza, who was staring at her swords in shock, before it quickly turned to anger, realizing that he wasn't taking her seriously, at all, as she watched Gajeel simply smirk as he gestured her forwards.

Erza practically growled as she lunged down towards Gajeel, who simply laughed as he jumped up towards her, holding his left hand down at his side before he swung it in front of his face, crossing his Iron Dragon Swords with Erza's two hands held Heaven's Wheel Swords, as they fought mid-air for dominance, each of them at equal strength, partially due to how Gajeel was unable to brace himself against the ground, while gravity was on Erza's side. But, the sound of cracking metal reached Gajeel's keen ears, making a smirk grow on his face.

"Looks like your sword doesn't stand against mine, Titania," Gajeel said with a smirk as his muscles tensed, as he applied, even more, force to his arms, flinging Erza back into the air as he extended his right arm in the air turning it into iron as it flew into the ceiling of the guild, before it began to decrease in size, lifting him onto the rafters, while Erza simply spread her wings, slowing her travel through air before she stopped, her wings flapping in mid-air as she stared at the dragon slayer.

 **Happy's PoV**

"What do you mean we can't talk to Natsu, I told you, Phantom Lord has started a war with Fairy Tail! Surely you know what such consequences would occur due to such a thing!" Happy argued as he sat on the desk in front of a council Frog, having only been allowed through this far because of Natsu's Wizard Saint Medallion that Mickey had pulled out of his bag, making quite a commotion, especially since they had a talking bird AND cat sitting on a desk, arguing, with a frog of all things.

Fortunately for them, all of the arguing and yelling had caught the attention of a certain Rune commander who was passing by, checking in with the investigation team, had overheard claims of a legal guild war, and had to come over and see if there was any proof to these crazy claims.

"Are there any truths behind these absurd claims?" Lahar asked as he walked over, grabbing both happy and Mickey's attention, as the blue cat literally sighed in appreciation, glad that someone might actually listen to them. Mickey slowly waddled over to the envelope from Makarov, before picking it up with her teeth, and flying towards Lahar, hovering in the air as he reached upwards and grabbed the envelope, before removing the Fairy Tail seal, and taking the pictures and information out of the envelope and giving them a quick once over, before putting all the info in his right hand, and glaring at the council frog.

"And why, did you not report this to the council? This means at least two Wizard Saints could be going head to head, in a town full of people!" Lahar raged sternly making every council member and official to turn to the frog, who was staring at lahar with an aura of arrogance surrounding his body.

"Oh, really. You expected me to believe a talking bluebird _AND_ cat?! How was I suppose to know they weren't lying." The frog argued as it crossed its weird, awkward arms in anger, making the commander simply roll his eyes as he gestured to both animals to follow him as he approached the inner sanctum of Council Office behind the frog, making it opens it's mouth in protest, before a stern glare from Lahar quickly shut him off as they type in the passcode, opening the magically sealed door allowing them into the inner workings of the Magic Council.

"So you actually believe us?" Mickey asked hopefully, as she flew into the air, before swirling around the commander's head as he brought the evidence towards the council, especially since they were all present in the building.

"Unfortunately... Yes," Lahar replied with a sigh as he stopped in front of two rune knights who were guarding a door, watching as they nodded in acceptance, before one of them stepped to the side, before pushing a button which prompted him to press a button behind him, which opened a door to which Lahar stepped through, only for the rune knights to cross their staves in front of the commander, making him sigh as he looked at the guards.

"They come, bearing proof, that Phantom Lord has attacked Fairy Tail, and therefore starting a war with them after Fairy Tail found Team Shadow Gear beat up and hung in a park, with the Phantom Lord emblem painted on Levy's stomach." Lahar explained making their eyes shoot open in shock, as even if there would be a winner, too many lives could be lost in such a fight.

The rune knights quickly retracted their staves, allowing Lahar into the main comms room of the entire council Building, before approaching the console, and Reaching up, and carefully picking Happy up off of his shoulder, before setting him on the clean, white counter before approaching the console, and inputting an obscenely long passcode, allowing him direct contact to Gran Doma himself.

"This is a comm's line used solely for emergencies... With Deliora dead, what else could be so cataclysmic?" Gran Doma asked rhetorically, making Lahar sigh, not wanting to be the one to tell him that the entire countries two strongest guilds, were now in an all-out war, which, in essence, could be worse than a rampaging Deliora, because these are people that Fiore's citizens should be able to trust, not have to run from in terror.

"I have real proof, that Phantom Lord has just started a war with Fairy Tail, who, for once, is not at fault... Their objectives are unknown, but Fairy Tail is currently retaliating," Lahar summarized with a sigh, making Gran Doma's eyes shoot open in shock, but not that they could see it before he immediately replied.

"I want this proof, NOW! Have someone alert Saint Dragneel as well, he should be able to interfere and stop both sides from destroying Magnolia, or Oaktown." Gran Doma ordered, making Lahar affirm his statement before turning to the two mages besides him.

"Quickly, Dragneel should be in Council Woman Ultear's office, I have to bring this to Gran Doma, Hurry!" Lahar practically ordered as the door opened, before he ran through the door, before bolting down the hallway, making Happy and Mickey sigh as they turned to eachother.

"He forgot to tell us where her office was," Happy said with a sigh as Mickey chirped in an affirmation, as they began to fly down the hallway in a sullen fashion, _hoping,_ that either Natsu would sense their presence, or that someone would be able to guide them to her office, but given how helpful they were earlier... They had no hope, especially since this building was almost the size of a small town.

 **Natsu's PoV**

"This is a nice office you have here," Natsu said as he leaned against a bookshelf full of different relics, all of them in perfect condition, making him shake his head in amusement as he looked at the powerful, but amusing woman who looked far too comfortable sitting in her oversized, black leather chair, as she threw her heeled feet up on her desk.

"It is, and I never had to pay even a single jewel, it pays to be important," Ultear said dramatically as she leaned back on the arm of her chair, her right hand going up and fluffing her hair as she stared at him, puffing her chest out, emphasizing her almost too curvy body, with her kimono barely covering her bust as the layers began to part, showing way too much cleavage, and catching Natsu's eyes, before he quickly snapped out of his trance and turned around.

"Why must you put yourself on display like that," Natsu said with a sigh as he shook his head, making Ultear shoot up, as she looked at him, confused as most men would jump at an opportunity like that to stare at her, and he just completely turned around, worrying more about her dignity than anything.

"You are honestly the most interesting man I have ever met," Ultear said with a sigh as she took her feet off of her desk before she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her before she gently placed her chin upon her joined hands. Natsu walked forward, taking a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk, that was not even close to the same quality as her own, his only options being a wooden chair or an old chair with green stained cushions.

"Then you obviously need to get out more," Natsu said with a smirk as he looked at Ultear, knowing that she obviously had more questions, as did he.

"How on Earthland were you able to edit the footage so well," Natsu asked as he laid back in his chair, making Ultear smirk as looked at him continuing to rest her chin on her hands, always prepared to brag.

"Well, on the boat ride back, I knew I would be forced to show the footage to the council, so I edited the footage, which also made Gray look so much more impressive," Ultear said with a smirk, making Natsu laugh as they now overplayed Gray in front of the entire council, which meant he could only disappoint them when he wasn't as strong as the footage said he was.

"So... Want to tell me why you lied to the entire council?" Ultear asked as she shifter her chin onto her left hand, as her right hand began to draw circles on her tabletop, while Natsu simply smirked as he looked her in the eyes.

"Who said I lied? Deliora will never harm another innocent person ever again, and that's the truth," Natsu answered with a wink, making Ultear giggle as she began to twirl her finger into her hair.

"So you didn't requip Deliora's book away, and then in the council room you requipped a random object, burning it instantly, so fast that they didn't realize it was anything other than Deliora's ashes," Ultear asked, unsurprised to see a shocked expression on his face as he mumbled under his breath.

"Look, uh, I know it's not much, but I promise nothing too bad will happen... I just really need this demon," Natsu pleaded as he looked at Ultear, making her confused as to why he was being so forward, or so honest.

"Trust me, I believe you, but I'm still curious why you would take such a risk," Ultear said with a sigh as she extended her arm out, having had never expected him to have hidden it for such a reason, even from his guildmates, like Gray, and most likely Sherry as well.

"Honestly, it's not even Deliora that I specifically need... It's just, how often will I run into a demon I can simply requip away, and bring back when I need them, especially with how strong he is," Natsu said with a sigh as his hands were enveloped in a flash of light, before it disappeared, showing that his hands were empty, making Ultear sigh in relief as anyone could have sensed the presence of such a demon like Deliora, if Natsu had requipeed the book. BUt, Ultear did still feel a tinge of regret, especially since she had so wanted to examine the book.

Silence enveloped her office as she thought, trying to figure out what he wanted the book for so much before he eyes widened in shock, the only question she had was whether or not it was even _possible._

* * *

Sorry, it was late, had a headache and then accidentally fell asleep. Next week's chapter may be shorter simply because life is deciding to throw a wrench in my writing schedule, so yeah... We'll see!

* * *

onto the reviews!

Natsuharemfan/31- How'd you know! :D


	33. A Flightless Fairy

And Onto the Story!

 **Erza's PoV**

Erza grunted as she lunged back before her body was enveloped in yet another flash of light, requipping into another armor, as even her Flame Empress Armor had next to no effect on the Iron Dragon Slayer, who was still standing confidently, if signed and cut up as he stood there with his sword arm crossed over his chest.

When the flash of light died down, Erza was revealed to be holding her lightning empress armor staff, while the rest of her body was covered in the giants armor, hoping that the extra added strength would aid her as she attempted to turn Gajeel into a lightning rod, making him sigh as he uncrossed his arms before lowering into a fighting stance, holding his sword parrallel to the ground, as he secretly extend a spike from the bottom of his sole, through the ground, hoping it would ground him, and reduce some of the pain, hopefully.

They stood ten feet apart, with Gajeel simply standing in the same spot, this thick yellow armor not part of the portfolio Jose had given all his S Class mages, wanting them to be more than prepared to take out the likes of the Titania, and Fullbuster. But the thing that had annoyed Gajeel the most, was the fact that Jose had specifically ordered them to team up on Dragneel if he ever showed his face.

Erza had grown tired of waiting, plus her anger at Gajeel's obvious lack of respect for the precious bonds a guild provides, left her all to eager to jump forward, the strength granted from her giants armor giving her the force of Makarov's Titan magic as she brought her staff down, forcing Gajeel to use both arms to hold off her assault, gritting his teeth as he did his best to not b forced to his knees, only to roar in pain as Erza brought the thunder, as lightning exploded from her staff, sending thousands of Volts through his body as his muscles locked up, allowing her to strike.

And strike she did as she quickly requipped her purgatory club, as she smashed him into the ground, leaving all Phantom Mages shocked, as not even any of the element four could force him to his knees.

Erza then jumped back once more, not wanting to risk another hit as she requipped her lightning staff, but this time she began to twirl it infront of her body, and the faster it went, the larger the magic circle in front of her grew, making Gajeel roll his eyes as he prepared to take the hit, not even being able to increase his defense as his Iron Dragon Scales would only force him to conduct the electricity even more, before a smirk grew on his face, and idea coming to mind as he prepared for her attack.

Soon Erza's magic circle had reached four feet in diameter, making her atop twirling her staff behind her as she brought it around her body, before stabbing it through the middle of the magic circle, sending a huge bolt of lightning barreling towards Gajeel at the speed of light, creating a shockwave at the speed it obtained, blowing some nearby mages away, as their bodies twitched.

Gajeel grit his teeth as he felt the lightning impact him, as he eyes, not wanting his retina to burn as he felt the lightning course through his body, doing his best to muscles, as fighting the power would him worse off, as the lightning channeled towards the ground, and while his plan was a success, it didn't mean the lightning didn't hurt like a bitch.

Erza stood there watching Gajeel, lightly panting, her keen eyes and observation skills allowing her to see Gajeel through the dust cloud that had formed on impact, making her smirk as she requipped out of her giant's armor, and into her Lightning Empress armor, this time with staff and armor.

She jumped in the sky, knowing that giving a dragon slayer even a second to recover could make you meet your end, twirling her staff above her head as lightning began to fizz above her head, making some of her hair even stand on end, as a small storm cloud began to form, continuing to grow in size until it was large enough to encompass the area they had to fight.

All mages, even Gray stared at her in shock, having had never been aware that Erza was capable of such a thing with her armies, having had thought that was something only an elemental mage was capable of,.watching as she fell to the ground, bending her knees to allow her body to naturally absorb the impact, as she stood there with the butt of her staff on the ground as she kept her eye on Gajeel, who was now standing, and simply stretching his muscles, aware of a storm coming, but not that it was actually _in_ the room.

"I'm just glad that his element is iron, otherwise this would be much harder..." Erza thought with a sigh as she used her telekinesis to tear the swords out of the wall as quietly as possible, trying to move them around the room so that she could attack Gajeel, or anyone when they weren't looking.

Gajeel was quite the sight, all the electricity had caused his long black, oily locks to frizz out into a humongous afro, which even brought some laughs from the surrounding mages, fairy or phantom.

Gajeel felt his anger growing as he was struck by lightning once more, the only reason he was able to stand after Erza's large hit was the fact he had turned his body into a path, conducting the electricity on a metal path from his Iron Dragon Sword, down his abs and down his leg, with the spike going straight into the ground.

He was the one to lunge forward this time, his speed was only enhanced by his anger as he turned into a blur, jumping and dodging Erza's flying swords like a gazelle running through a forest, which gave Erza enough time to requip into her flight armor, while keeping her lightning empress armor staff out, not only to damage Gajeel, but if she got struck by the storm cloud she wouldn't get damaged by it.

They had the deadliest dance, as they blurred around eachother, with sparks and the sounds of metal clashing being heard all around their they traded blows, with the defense, simply because his strength at this speed than she could handle, especially with this staff, as it felt almost like it was about to break.

Gajeel begun to gain the advantage as he turned his right hand into metal as well, specifically controlling the spots his Iron Dragon Scales were present, increasing his strength as he began to get off more and more hits, not with his sword, but with his fist, striking her in the midsection, shoulder, thigh and pelvis, slowly disabling her body one hit at a time.

Even as Gajeel was struck by the storm cloud above them, or by the perfectly timed discharges she unleashed into his body, she was still forced into the defense, making her sigh as her magic flared, sending a huge discharge of lightning all around her body, right when his sword made contact with her staff, only increasing the damage, but it still only gave her three seconds to recover and re-strategize, never having had expected him to be capable of such speed, while hitting that hard.

Gajeel, however, was not the one to let an opponent rest, as a large magic circle began to form in front of his face, making her eyes widen as she was enveloped in a flash, signifying she was Requipping once more.

"Iron Dragons Roar!" Gajeel bellowed as a huge, one meter thick torrent of iron shrapnel rocketed towards Erza, and while Gajeel expected to her to at least scream, he was left with the Painful sound of metal grating on metal, making him roll his eyes as he remembered her defensive armor, making him grin as he always wanted to taste _Adamantine._

He lunged towards Erza gaining more and more speed as he crossed the distance as the Iron Dragons sword revved, he brought his arm back, preparing to strike her barrier, only for his eyes to widen in shock, as his .in contact with a thick, steel wall that had a large hole torn through the middle of it, making Gajeel shocked, as he wasn't aware a requip mage was capable of Requipping something so large.

Gajeel roared out in pain as he was struck in the back with another huge bolt of lightning, that hurt, even more, this time as his swords were still caught in the destroyed steel wall in front of him.

A hole was torn through the back of his shirt, leaving his blistering and simmering to he fell to his knees, feeling his chest heaving in anger as he slowly rose from his knees, tearing his hand out of the wall, the pain having had even dispelling his sword leaving small, but deep gashes on his left fore arm as he turned around, seeing the Titania standing on the rafters above him, her own cheat heaving from the hard fight, as she stood there, looking quite attractive in her lightning empress armor.

Before they even had a chance to continue the fight, they finally realized that the shaking of the building had stopped, which made the phantoms feel anxious, hoping that this meant what they thought it would, and it was revealed to be true, as Makarov's tiny form could be seen crashing through the ground, making her requip once more into her _Flight Armor_ as she lunged towards him, and at the perfect time as well, as a shimmer where she was just standing, revealed Aria standing right there, the magic circle formed in front of his hands, prepared to suck magic away, but on this day, luck was on the fairies side.

"Master!?" The Fairy Tail mages shouted out, as even the celestial spirits could feel their allies fear and worry, making them fight that much harder towards Erza, who was plummeting towards the ground, landing but a few metres from Gajeel's side, but she didn't care, as she the old man in her arms, that wasn't even conscious of his position, snuggled towards her chest as she stood there in her flight armor once more.

Even Sherry was distraught at the unhealthy green shade Makarov's skin was now wearing, as her Wood Golem continued to tear through phantom mages, even as it took more and more hits, but it was only being repaired by wood around the room as she was now on her knees, the strain being too much to even stand.

Gray began tearing through the mages around him, with Taurus, the Wood Golem, and Polaris joining his side as they quickly formed a protective triangle around Erza and their injured master, from whom they longer sense his comforting magic aura, but most importantly, they could sense none at all, and they could only feel terror at why.

"Hi-his magic, it-s go-one," Gray mumbled in shock as he stood there, seeking Makarov's unhealthy green skin out of the corner of his eye, and in all their panic, nobody noticed Aria appear behind Lucy, but Loki, who was attempting to push his way through the mages, as he tried to save her, but even he could not make it in time, because as soon as he touched her, they were both gone with the wind. Everyone watched in shock as Taurus gate was forced closed, but they were quickly pushed onto the defensive as Phantom struck, rushing forward even faster than before, attacking even harder, knowing that the Fairies spirits were now crushed.

Polaris thought quickly, grabbing Erza and holding both her and Makarov to his chest effortlessly, almost like a football. He then put his hand left arm out, before running through the crowd, plowing through the phantoms as he carried his precious cargo towards the extinction, while the other mages struggled to hold back the enemy forces.

Polaris was aware of the magic attacks, and weapons flying towards them but chose to ignore them, even as multiple pillars impacted his back, impaling his shoulder, upper and lower back courtesy of the fried dragon slayer standing on the rafters above.

Gray quickly flowed behind the large pink bear, sending his own Lance's towards the incoming elements, doing his best to defend his fallen master, and their only saving grace was now up to Happy and Mickey, if, they could get Natsu out of Era in time, otherwise... 'Erza could barely beat Gajeel, and he barely used any of his actual attacks... How can we hope to best the seventh..." Gray griped as Polaris flung the last mages out of his way as he stopped in front of the fairies.

The Fairy Tail Mages no longer had victory in sight, with Erza exhausted and Makarov out of the picture, a loss was practically a given.

"Retreat," Erza's tired voice called out as she was placed on the ground, with Polaris continuing to stand and block attacks, making tears build in Yukino's eyes as she was practically useless, having had not once even got a hit off, other than what Polaris had done, and only Loki was aware of who took Lucy, as he knelt on the ground, angry, but even more upset, as he found himself responsible. Sherry simply sighed, feeling as if she had not only failed her new guild, but Natsu as well since his grandfather was now on his deathbed, and his guild was in scrambles.

Every Fairy Tail mage looked at Erza in shock, as she carefully gave Makarov to Cana, before turning around, Requipping once more as she was covered in a flash of light, which died down revealing her in the Adamantine armor once more, as she slammed the shields together, forming a barrier that blocked the Phantoms attacks, as everyone else stared at her, confused and angry.

"What do you mean retreat?! We can still fight!" Macao protested, but his argument was just because both he and Wakaba were leaning on eachother, just to stay standing, Cana and Gray looked before they began pushing people out the door, while Gray noticed the missing blonde and one of his best friends kneeling on the ground.

Everyone watched confused as Gray ran to Loki, helping him up and seeing the tear barely kept at bay.

"She's gone... I wasn't fast enough..." Loki said softly as Gray helped him up, feeling worried build in his chest as it was obvious now that there to this than petty ranks and numbers.

 **Happy's PoV**

After looking around, and flying through different halls, and even vents, it was quite obvious that both Mickey, and Happy were becoming ,.especially since Makarov chose fewer fighters for an actual assault plan, simply because he didn't want any of the injured mages getting captured, especially since Phantoms current motives were still unknown.

"Happy, maybe we should split up?" Mickey chirped, catching some weird glances due to the presence of a talking bird and cat, that were not trying to kill eachother like Natsu would demand.

"You're right, we'll never find Ultear's office this way," Happy said with a sigh, unaware of a certain blue-haired Saint listening in on their conversation as he stalked them through the halls, discreetly of course.

"Perhaps I can be of assistance? I am aware of where Council Woman Milkovich's office is, In fact, I was heading there myself." Siegrain offered from behind them, making both talking animals turn around in shock before they felt relief and hope bloom in their minds, as they will be able to avenge team shadow gear and assure their innocence in the same sentence.

Happy was quick to notice the tattoo on the man's face and the wizard saint emblem on his cloak, as he stood there, his tall, but lithe form becoming even by the girt the shoulder width of his cloak allowed him, making it quite obvious just how well he thought of himself. But what garnered Happy's attention, even more, was his skin-tight combat suit under his cloak, and the normality in Hsi clothing made it more than obvious he was nowhere near the top four, and since Natsu never spoke of this man, it made Happy wary, whereas Mickey was simply glad to have a guide.

"Thank you, thank you!" Mickey chirped as she flew towards Siegrain, before flying around his head, making him roll his eyes at their childlike nature as he began to turn around and lead them towards Ultear's office, with Happy acting less childish than the bird, as he watched Siegrain hesitantly, who turned to the cat, his right eye-catching Happy's making him smirk while Happy simply felt worried.

 **Natsu's PoV**

"How did you even record the whole thing anyway?" Natsu asked as he sat back in his chair, having had enjoyed their conversation that was more like a game of questions. Ultear simply smirked at the man, now knowing one thing he couldn't sense.

"I was recording you and your friends whole little adventure," Ultear said with a smirk as she opened her desk drawer, and Natsu watched as multiple white lacrima flew out, and hovered in the air, before they turned towards him and focused, and his keen eyes were able to catch sight of the slowly blinking small red light, that signalled it was recording.

The pink haired saint simply sighed as he looked at the lacrima before turning to the dark-haired woman, realizing she could almost perfectly hide that lacrimas with her arc of time magic, as even the scent of the materials used to hide the lacrima would be the exact same.

"You know, I wouldn't be half as annoyed as I am now, if it wasn't for the dozen I know must have been destroyed with the temple," Natsu said with a sigh making Ultear roll her eyes, even if there was a slight smile on her face as the lacrimas all flew back into the drawer in a single file system.

"You cost me about twenty of these things and they aren't expensive... You're just lucky I like you," Ultear said with a wink in his direction as she closed the drawer, taking interest in how Natsu's head quirked just the smallest degree, tilting his nose in the direction of the door as he closed his eyes. Ultear watched as he sat there for a few seconds, before he shook his head, opening his eyes to see the stunning woman staring at him intently, making him pause.

"Uhm, what?" Natsu asked, confused as to why she was staring at him so... Free, no worry on brow or scheme on her mind as she simply stared at him so contently. Ultear didn't reply for a few seconds, making Natsu think she had spaced out.

Fire formed in the air, spelling out "are you okay?" In front of her face, only for her to shake her head, unsure why she was so disappointed when it was so well known that Natsu was practically ignorant to everything other than fighting or magic, even if he was already rumored to have a girlfriend.

And even knowing all that, he was still the only guy she had actually had eyes for, as anything other than a friend or employee, her whole life having been consumed with the desire to see her mother again... And now she has, and she's left to deal with all her emotions and ideas while trying to crawl out of the whole she's been digging ever since she met Brain at the research center.

"Right... Want to tell me why Siegrain was trying to throw me under the bus?" Natsu said as he stared at the woman, noticing how her body tensed for a microsecond before she acted like normal.

"And before you tell me you have no idea, it is already obvious you are more than familiar with him, so you may probably want to not lie, especially since my ears are trained on your heart, and I can smell any perspiration..." Natsu said, turning the calm and cool atmosphere on its head right when she opened her mouth to answer. She closed her mouth as she glared at him, annoyed that he was forcing her to do something, even though she realized she would have done the _exact_ same thing in his position.

"You know, you can be a bit of a dick sometimes," Ultear jabbed as she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, a more than adorable pout sprouting across her face as her large bosom was emphasized even further due to her triceps pressing it together. Natsu was doing his best to keep his eyes on hers, his natural male instincts driving his eyes towards her pure white kimono that was overflowing with boob flesh.

Natsu simply gave up with a sigh as he closed his eyes, his face still turned towards Ultear making her roll her eyes.

"Siegrain was to be the youngest Wizard Saint, to rise through the ranks. And to even join the magic council at such a young age would put him down in the history books, and then you came along, not only surpassing him in strength but also taking him from the spotlight." Ultear explained making Natsu sigh, annoyed, but also understanding why Siegrain was attempting to throw him under the bus and put distrust in his name.

"Why is the council so full of power hungry people..." Natsu said with a sigh making Ultear glare at him, something that he noticed after a few seconds before correcting his statement.

"Nobody on the council is there for the right reasons... Everyone just seems to have their own ulterior motives, rather than being on the council for the right reasons, to bring order to the world of magic, and protect those without." Natsu explained making Ultear feel like she wanted to puke because she has heard things like that before, from people who were trying to attract attention. The only difference was that Natsu completely believed every word he said.

"Hey, I resent that. What is my ulterior motive then?" Ultear asked as she uncrossed her arms as she sat up, arching her back as she stretched her arms out behind her, making Natsu's eyes once again shoot towards her upper chest region, making him close his eyes in annoyance at her very convincing, and almost successful attempts to change the topic.

"Would you quit it?!" Natsu complained as he threw his hands up, before standing up and beginning to pace on the floor in front of her desk, all with his eyes closed, using his other senses to direct his movements, as to not fall prey to her womanly wiles.

"Okay, Seriously! Why do you refuse to even look at me?! Am I not beautiful enough, can I not compare with the beautiful pin-up model?" Ultear asked, partially annoyed, but mostly hurt, which confused her the most. 'Why on earthland does it hurt that he won't look at me?' Ultear thought confusedly, unable to understand why she was feeling so upset.

Natsu quickly turned to her, quickly losing his anger to her sadness, wanting to quell her anger before she had the chance to tear his balls off, something Gildarts said they apparently do. Of course, the orange haired womanizer had forgotten to mention that it was after the woman had walked in on him, with _another_ girl.

"Woah, woah, _woah._ Wait a second there, what in the name of Mavis are you talking about?" Natsu asked confusedly as he held his hands in front of him as he stared at the skittish Ultear in front of him, who was hugging her body as she sat there, seeming more like the scared girl in the research center rather than the confident young woman she truly was.

"Forget it," Ultear said as she spun around in her chair, making Natsu simply gape at her, unsure about what to do, especially since she was somehow mad at him, for _not_ staring at her bust, confusing him since usually women don't want you to stare at them. And why was she talking about Mira?

"Look, *sigh* it's not that you're not attractive, in fact, you are one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. I'm sure you could be a pin-up model if you really liked?" Natsu said, confused, making Ultear giggle because he still had no clue what she was upset about.

"You are so sweet, even if you are a dunder he-" She was interrupted by a knock on the door, as Natsu turned his head to the left before a smile encompassed his face, which quickly turned into a frown, as there was _no reason_ Happy should be here.

Before Ultear could even call them in, Natsu was already in front of the door, most likely having used his flaming steps to get there fast, as he opened the door, unsurprised to see Siegrain at the door, having had recognized his scent, but was more than happy to see his little buddy, if a little worried.

"Natsu! Natsu! We have to leave now! Phantom Lord attacked the guild, and Team Shadow Gear is unconscious!" Happy blurted out as he flew in behind Siegrain and flying around Natsu's head making everyone's eyes shoot open in shock, as even the stalking Siegrain had no idea the situation was that dire, as only Lahar and Gran Doma were aware of such a travesty.

"Wait! If Phantom is attacking, where is my mother in all of this!" Ultear asked quickly as she appeared in front of them, only for Happy to stop in front of her face.

"You do all realize why Porlyusica is so hard to find... right?" Natsu said with a smirk as he turned to the blue cat who laughed with the pink haired saint.

"Her house is protected by some of the best illusions that can be made with magic. If I didn't know where her house was... Even I may be unable to find her house. it's almost as if she cloaked her house, with Dragon Slayers in mind..." Natsu said with a bemused smile on his face, while Ultear took a huge sigh of relief, glad that Black Steel Gajeel couldn't kidnap her mother, or worse, kill her before she reawakened.

"Interesting... and who do you claim started such a fight? And what proof do you have of Fairy Tail's innocence." Siegrain asked, knowing that Erza had to continue growing in strength to be the perfect sacrifice, meaning, _Fairy Tail CANNOT be disbanded,_ at any cost.

"We already have an envelope with pictures and proof to a nice guy with long black hair and glasses!" The bird chirped from Siegrain's shoulder, making him sigh as he turned around.

"Come Ultear, it looks like we have another meeting to attend," Siegrain said with a sigh as he began to walk out the door with a giggle Ultear in tow due to the look on Natsu's face. The pink haired Saint was completely devastated and exhausted, with his back bent forward as he looked at Happy.

"Can I ever get a break?" Natsu said with an exhausted look on his face as Happy simply sighed before flying over to Natsu and sitting on his shoulder.

"Nope!" Happy laughed as they disappeared in a flash of fire.

 **Gray's PoV**

"Erza, we have to go! They have Lucy!" Gray told the redhead, who turned in shock, as she turned her head around, finding that Gray was correct and that the blonde was no longer present, confusing her as to where she went, or who had taken her.

Gajeel watched the Fairies panic and attempt to run, and began to feel the same burning, heavy sensation in his chest as he did the night before. He sighed as he jumped down forward, his strong legs propelling him across the room to the Titanias barrier, making the Phantoms move quickly, lest they be caught in Gajeels path.

Erza turned back to the phantom mages when she heard a loud thump, gritting her teeth at the appearance of the dragon slayer, but was confused he wasn't facing her, allowing her to see the burned skin on his back. She would have felt guilty if he had not up, but she was surprised that he had gotten the phantoms to stop attacking.

"Let them run with their tails between their legs, let everyone watch as fairy tail limps home, as everyone sees the truth, that Phantom Lord is the strongest!" Gajeel cheered,.making the phantom's cheer in agreement, before he turned his head, his left eye catching Erza's for a split second, and she was more than shocked at what he did.

'He... He is letting us escape...' Erza thought in confusion as she Requipping into her Hearts Kreuz armor as she turned around, prepared to walk back guild only for her knees to buckle in exhaustion, her saving grace being that she was barely caught by Gray with his hand under her shoulder and hauled her to her feet.

Yukino was aiding Max, Loki was one of the only ones walking away on his own, but the guilt and regret he felt more than made up for his lack of injuries. Macao and Wakaba were holding eachother up, their injuries almost complimentary, as an uninjured shoulder was able to aid an injured leg. Sherry had cautiously stood up, holding herself as she silently followed the distraught mages as they barely escaped with their lives, but not their pride.

The fairy Tail mages never even realized that after they were far enough away, more than half of the phantom mages fell to the ground in pain from broken limbs or even cuts on their bodies as they began to groan in pain, making Gajeel roll his eyes as he lunged over all the debilitated mages as he landed at the top of the staircase, as he prepared to talk to Jose about how they were going to deal with _Dragneel_.

But more importantly, they were walking away with shame, unaware that there were more phantoms lurking about.

They continued to walk through the town, limping and barely able to walk down the street as they began to suffer from their injuries, but they had to get far enough away so that they could begin to recover.

After a few minutes of walking both Wakaba and Macao fell to the ground, moaning in pain making Yukino, Gray and Cana turn around in shock, having had not noticed the trail of blood until now, making them each carefully set Erza, Max, and Makarov down respectively, as Loki simply stood there, almost as if he was dead inside, his mind finally snapped from too much-percieved guilt.

"Erza, we need to take a break and start to patch up some of the more life-threatening wounds, and then we need to get Makarov to Porylusica and Shiko," Gray said with a sigh as they sat on the side of the street with Shiko, Cana, Loki and Yukino looking down on the more injured mages, with pedestrians walking around them, and giving them dark looks. But the worst thing by far was the junior reporters taking pictures of the fairies running from Phantoms.

"Fine, help us into that alley over there," Erza said with a sigh as she pointed to their left, making the standing mages assist the fallen into the alley. Gray with Macao, Yukino with Max, Sherry with Wakaba, Cana and Makarov and Loki cautiously helping up a glaring Erza into the dark and dirty alleyway, being careful to keep his hands on her shoulders, even if it was surprising to her he didn't take advantage of her weakened state.

Gray slammed his foot on the ground, as he froze the floor beneath them, creating a sanitary surface to heal their friends before setting Macao on the ground before crouching by his side, before grabbing the arrow inside his left thigh, breaking off the tip as he slid the shaft out, making the purple haired man scream in pain as Gray put his hands on both sides of the wound, sealing it shut with ice, before wiping the mans blood off his hands.

Erza had simply requipped some burn ointment, before handing it to Yukino, who carefully, applied it to the balding man's shoulder, while everyone else circled around Makarov, even the ever so quiet Sherry was worried for the old man's well being, noticing, but not caring about the approaching rainstorm, as there were other things to worry about than a cold.

 **New PoV**

"Juvia hopes that Master will not be too mad that we were unable to find the Heartfilia heiress," Juvia said with a sigh as she walked beside the weirdly slithering and swaying green haired monocle wearing earth mage, another quarter of the Element Four, Monsieur Sol.

"Non, non, Mademoiselle Locsker. If the Heartfilia is not in Magnolia, she must be visiting Notre Maison," The creepy Earth mage responded as they walked through Oak Town towards their guild, unaware of what they would see when they got back, but more importantly, who...

Both Juvia and Monsieur Sol were carrying umbrellas, protecting themselves from the relentless torrent of water that continued to rain down upon Juvia, making everyone they passed run away, to hide within their homes or a shop of interest, making Juvia sigh in sadness, upset that everyone had run away from her, leaving the streets empty except for the random magic mobile speeding by.

"Hey, what's up with all this rain, it ruins my hair," an unknown voice said before a smack rung through the street, as an orange-haired man was flung out of the alleyway to their right, making them pause on their way, curious as to the cause of this commotion.

"Master is unconscious, we're out of magic, and the one thing you're worried about is your hair!" A scarlet haired woman in Hearts Kreuz armor stormed out of the alleyway, with her arm resting across a pink haired woman's shoulder, but the thing that stood out the most, was the dark blue Fairy Tail emblem on her right shoulder, making a malicious, but creepy smile grow on Monsieur Sol's ugly face, as he now found a way to make up for their lack of Heartfilia heiress...

"Sorry, sorry! Let's just get back to the guild, and... Helloo Lady..." Loki said as he stood up, rushing up his singed and slashed green army jacket as he stood up, before his eyes caught the sight of the dashing Juvia Lockser, in her thigh long blue coat, that accentuated her slender but curvy figure, with a blue-furred shawl covering her shoulders with a Teru Teru Bozu doll on the front, which only went to prove just how lonely she was.

"It seems like we will not be coming back empty-handed, after all, Mademoiselle Juvia," Monsieur Sol said with a devious look on his face as the ground itself began to lift off, and swirling around the creepy green haired man while Juvia simply sighed, as she carefully folded up her umbrella and set it on the ground, before her body began to fluctuate, as if she was made of water. The rain itself seemed to be attracted to her as it began to swirl around her body while Loki sighed.

"Why are the bad girls always so hot?" Loki said with a bemused smirk on his face as he took a few steps forward to engage with the two enemy mages before them, while Erza's eyes shot open in shock.

Gray only rolled his eyes as he exited the alleyway, not even bothering to bring Macao or Wakaba out for the fight, even if Wakaba could stand on his own, he had already smoked too much, and any more could put him in the hospital, or at least make him pass out.

Yukino hesitantly stuck her head out of the alleyway, looking around the building to see the imposing elemental empowered figures, before slowly ducking back behind the wall, only to be dragged out by Cana not even ten seconds later as they walked into the middle of the street.

The Fairy Tail mages were even feeling slightly hopeful due to having advantages by numbers, five against two, but not even one of the Fairy Tail mages even had a full magic container, and since none of the fairy fighters were S-Class, their chances only continued to dwindle into single digits as more and more of the respective elements began to swirl around the Phantoms.

"If you do not fight back, Juvia promises you will not get injured any further!" Juvia said aloud, annoyed by the orange haired man's comment about the rain, but even more so by his so obvious flirts towards her, simply because of what she looked like.

"Yeah, well, Same deal goes for you," Gray said with a smirk on his face as he began to lower into his ice make stance while Loki smirked as well as he raised his right hand up, adjusting the rings on his hand as Cana pulled her cards out as Yukino held out her keys, particularly fingering Libra, in anticipation for the fight with the earth mage.

"You need help! It's the Water Spectre and Earth Lord of the Element Four!" Erza said as she attempted to force Sherry forward, only to fall to the ground in shock, as Sherry let go of the Scarlet Haired knight, making even Monsieur Sol look at the Titania in shock when she let out a shriek of fright before impacting the ground.

Erza looked up towards Sherry, feeling equal parts embarrassed and angry as she attempted to stand.

"Erza, you have already used too much magic engaging the Iron Dragon Slayer, leave this fight to us, for Love..." Sherry said as she clasped her hands in front of her face like a begging child making Erza's eyes widen, realizing that the pinkette was slowly, but surely warming up to them, as a smile grew on Erza's face.

"Very Well, but if you lose... Remember what is at stake, and use it to fuel your desire to win!" Erza called out as the Fairies began to channel their magic, as they completely ignored Wakaba and Macao's cries to see the new beauty that Loki was speaking of.

 **Natsu's PoV**

A flash of fire exploded outside the Fairy Tail Guild Hall, making some of the locals panic, worrying that the fight was escalating even further, but rather down at Phantom, it was happening right here.

However, when all they saw was Natsu standing there, with Happy on his shoulder, but they were surprised to feel the surge of magic coming off of him, so strong they could feel it from dozens of feet away, as it began to tear the ground up beneath his feet, which stopped quickly with a stern, but hard slap to the face from Happy.

"Natsu! Calm down! There are still some Fairy Tail mages down in the basement! You could end up killing them all!" Happy shouted making Natsu quickly clamp down on his magic. He began to panic when he saw the rubble began to shift until he saw the hulking form of Elfman practically throw the rubble out of his path as he emerged from the basement, with an excited, but also angry Mira in tow.

"Hey Elf, hey Mira... Wheres the rest of the guild?" Natsu asked curiously when he saw Laki and Shiko walk out of the guild, with an injured, buy mobile Team Shadow Gear in tow. Happy quickly flew off of Natsu's shoulder when he saw Mira begin to run forward, while Natsu held his arms out, expecting a hug as a smile grew on his face.

"Don't you hey Mira me! What is this about you almost committing suicide to revive Ur?!" Mira yelled as she stormed forward before smacking him in the face, as a resounding clap ran through the area, making everyone wince as a crack could be heard.

"Ow..." Natsu moaned as he rubbed his cheek, as even Elfman stared at his sister in shock, remembering the look on her face from a long _long_ time ago, back when she was an active mage. Laki simply grinned, enjoying the pain on such a strong man's face.

"Uh... Right, I kinda forgot about that... Can, you, uh... ignore that until _after_ we beat Phantom Lord's butt?" Natsu asked hopefully as he looked down at the woman he loved, the woman that continued to glare at him before she sighed, taking another step forward making Natsu cringe as he ducked his head, protecting his face with his arms as he prepared for her next blow.

"I'm just glad you're home and safe," Mira said with a smile as she gave him a hug, making the most genuine and honest smile grow on his face, making an interested smile grow on Shiko's own visage, as she was now curious as to how this would all work out, as Natsu genuinely loved her, but...

"Honestly though, where is the rest of the guild?" Natsu asked seriously as he wrapped his arms around Mira before pressing a kiss to the crown of her head, wanting to make sure his family didn't survive a demon, only to fall to a phantom.

"Oh, yeah, I kind of forgot to mention that Makarov lead an assault with the other mages on their Guildhall in Oak Town," Happy said sheepishly as he munched on a fish, making everyone stare confused as to how he got there, but also as to where in the name of Mavis was Mickey.

"Hey! Where's Mickey!" Laki asked loudly as she began to storm towards the others, making everyone else look

"Calm Down, Laki Olietta, Mickey is staying behind, acting as a witness at the council meeting, giving our claim not only proof but a voice to speak the truth," Natsu said as Mira stepped back from the hug with a smile on her face at the shocked looks from the likes of Levy and Laki, making them realize he was smarter than they realized.

"That... Actually makes sense, how was the council meeting?" Levy asked curiously as she began to walk forward with Jet and Droy following her... as always.

"It... was a council meeting. We had to show a recording of the fight at the council, to prove that Deliora died... hey Shiko, is Ur okay?" Natsu asked as he answered the bluenette's question while looking her in the eyes, before turning to the green haired healer.

"She's fine... You're not seriously planning on helping them are you?" Shiko asked confusedly as she stared at the pink haired slayer.

"First off, they haven't returned yet... And I'm also quite familiar with their Dragon Slayer, I had to follow him once on a mission because he was apparently being too brutal. But... Why now? Surely me and Erza have been away from the guild at the same time before, so why would they attack now..." Natsu asked curiously, making everyone pause, and think, agreeing with him that there must be another reason, but what? What has changed in the past few weeks...

And only Levy was able to figure it out, as they have had an even larger influx of new mages than ever. Sure, having two wizard saints pulls in at least a dozen mages every month... But in the past week alone, they have got almost three mages! 'But who?' She thought as everyone else simply stood in silence.

* * *

And onto the reviews!

NatsuHaremFan- It might not be completely anger related, but he will have to deal with the results of a sheltered and shunned life. I'm thinking of having a little fun with the Edolas arc, maybe change it completely, or even throw in a highschool DxD arc, I really don' know yet.

Guest 31/14- Ur won't awaken yet, simply because you have to realize that her body is still recovering from almost a decade of not even being _a body._ Plus, it gives Ultear even more chances to bond with the rest of Fairy Tail.


	34. The Selfish Phantom

And Onto the Story!

 **Natsu's PoV**

"So you're just going to leave, again?" Mira asked as she looked up at the man she truly loved, annoyed at how devoted he was to his friend's safety, but, that was also why she loved him.

"Hmmm, alright. I'll stay for an hour, and then after that, We'll bring a secondary assault group to Oak Town." Natsu said making Mira smile as she grabbed his hand before pulling him towards the basement of the guild, and dragging him down the stairs as everyone else simply looked to eachother before shrugging their shoulders and following them down the stairs to the basement.

"So... What can I get for you? Surely you must be hungry after a long trip from Era," Mira said with the largest smile on her face as she stood behind the new makeshift bar, with Natsu standing in front of it, leaning his elbows on the wooden top as he looked the lovely woman in the eyes.

"All I want is right here," Natsu said with a wink making Elfman gag as he walked down the stairs, making Jet and Droy laugh as they followed Levy down the stairs while Shiko rolled her eyes at his immaturity.

What Elfman didn't realize was that the wooden floor beneath his feet curled up, catching his foot as he was walking to one of the shoddily remade tables, making him fall flat on his face, as Laki laughed maniacally, making Mira smirk, as he did deserve it for practically making fun of her happiness.

"What spell did you use anyways, I wasn't aware that fire magic was capable of summoning," Levy asked as she sat beside Natsu at the bar, with Shiko joining on the other side of him, finding Natsu to be an enigma that she just cannot figure out.

"My Father, Igneel, is the king of all dragons, thus allowing him onto the council of myth. And I am his heir. I simply use his fire to summon those under his domain." Natsu explained as he watched Mira walk around gracefully as she prepared a five-star meal out of the kitchen they threw together in the basement.

"Wait! So you can summon others of myth? Levy asked shocked, attracting everyone's attention as they looked at him, even Mira, who glared at him, annoyed that he never told even her all of this, before she sighed, just glad that everything else worked out well.

"In case you didn't already realize, there are consequences for pulling the myths out of hiding," Natsu said with a side glance towards the bluenette who now had a look of understanding donning her face, "I'm just lucky that the council ruled in my favor," Natsu said with a smile making Levy ponder his statement.

"Why did they rule in your favor? Valkyries haven't been seen in Millenia," This time it was Shiko who asked, making everyone who was still listening look at Natsu, curious as to how the council of myth ruled over such things.

"Before I even used the spell, I knew there was a chance the council would rule in my favor. First off, I wasn't saving Ur for myself. I could have killed her and melted the ice, but even if you're ice, murder is a crime." Natsu said with a sigh as he turned around, now facing his fellow guildmates, trying to find an ounce of annoyance at all their questions, but it was nice to feel... Accepted.

"Instead, I took a risk, not for my own gain, but for Gray, Lyon, and Ultear, that's only thing I can guess," Natsu explained unaware of how Mira tensed up at the mention of the beautiful councilwoman, worried that she was going to steal Natsu away from her once she finally got him to ask her out, her fear of loss overpowering her rationality,

Natsu turned back around, now that the mages around him were now contemplating what he had said, realizing that he may actually be a better person than they had assumed, now that he had grown out of his arrogance he had when he first joined the guild. And the pinkette was too oblivious to even realize the plight his poor girlfriend was in, stuck in her head as she rolled around in doubt.

"Wait! One more question! Do fairies really have tails?" Levy asked making Natsu smirk as he turned to her as even Laki awaited the pinkettes answer. The smirk on his face making Levy feel a slight amount of annoyance, as it said he knew the answer, but he still wasn't telling her.

"It's a never-ending adventure, why should I spoil it for you?" Natsu asked as he turned to his plate of food that was placed in front of him, confused that Mira then left to tend to everyone else, making him pause before he began to eat, questioning himself whether or not he said something wrong. Shiko simply sighed as she watched them struggle, deciding not to step in until it was necessary.

 **Erza's PoV**

Juvia and Monsieur Sol were smart enough to not let the five fairies before them, with Sol making the ground beneath their feet explode, sending everyone flying, and disrupting Yukino's summoning, and only her tight grip on Libras key prevented her from dropping it.

Cana quickly flipped her body allowing her to land on her feet as she flung two explosion cards in their direction, hoping to at least impair their vision, and prevent any attacks until everyone was back on their feet.

Gray simply used his ice make magic to shoot a claw out of a magic circle he formed in his hand, shooting it to a nearby rooftop before he shot towards it, hoping to land a critical hit while they were focused on the others.

Cana's cards impacted the ground at the same time Yukino reached the ground, exploding and sending a cloud of dust into the phantoms eye, that was quickly beginning to dissipate due to the heavy rain that continued to drill down upon them.

"Open, Gate of the scales! Libra!" Yukino shouted as she pointed her key into the air before her as she sat on the ground, making a loud bell sound resonate through the street as a flash of light appeared before her, revealing the enticing Belly Dancer before her, who quickly took notice of the strong magic presences before her, as she prepared to use her gravity magic. But what was even more curious, was when her eyes fell upon the strikingly familiar orange haired man who was dashing forward, hoping to score a hit, or at least distract them for Gray's hit to make contact.

Sherry used her Doll Attack magic on the dumpsters in the alleyway containing Wakaba, Macao, Max and Makarov, who still looked no better, if anything the green tinge of his skin seemed worse, making Erza grit her teeth as she called upon her telekinesis, moving the garbage and trash to hide Makarov's body, even as she felt her chest burn in pain due to her lack of magic, she continued until she was sure he was safe.

When Loki was but three feet away from where they believed the phantoms to be, he was surprised to see a large slash of water shooting through the dust, dispelling the cloud, and also making the orange haired man fall to the ground as the arc of water flew above him at high speeds, continuing before it hit the doll of a dumpster that jumped before the fairies upon Sherry's command, and they were all surprised when the water began to cut through the metal.

Erza's eyes opened in shock when she saw the ground under Cana's feet begin to shimmer.

"Cana look out!" Erza called making Cana fall into a roll forward as she dropped a card onto the ground, blindly trusting Erza's insight during a fight like this. When she risked a look back she saw Sol begin. To emerge from the ground where she was standing with a creepy frown on his face. And when she looked forward she saw the ever so stoic water mage before them, cornering them

"Roche Concerto!" Sol cries out as he tore the street below them, before sending a barrage of boulders to the fairies in front of them, his arrogance preventing him from attacking Erza, instead planning to have her watch as they tore her friends apart in front of the Knights eyes, as she was left unable to do anything.

"Water Cyclone," Juvia calls out calmly, making a large blue, teardrop designed magic circle form in front of her, and out from it shot a huge tornado of water as it torrents towards the Fairy Tail mages, who quickly realized they were caught between a rock and a wet place.

Loki and Cana prepared themselves to take the hits, with nowhere to dodge, and their magic not fitted for blocking either attack, they simply hoped the others were. Sherry called upon the ground, attempting to make a doll out of the street and everything around it, hoping to be able to at least delay the cyclone of water.

"Gravity increase x200!" Yukino cried out making a purple magic circle form before Libra, as all the borders and pieces of pavement crashed into the ground, and therefore nullifying Sol's attack, which only served to infuriate him.

"Freeze!" Gray shouted as he jumped down off a building to their left and into the cyclone of water, showing that he had gone for a sneak attack, but was forced to defend, lest any of their injured members got swept up in the attack.

Juvia watched in annoyance as her attack was slowly, but surely frozen from the inside, allowing Loki to strike. He raised his right fist as he closed in on the water mage, only to watch in shock as his fist pass straight through her body on impact, causing him to fall right through her as she took a step forward, watching as her cyclone was shattered, revealing the ice mage standing there in the same garb gifted to him from Natsu, if a little torn and cut.

"You're going to have to try harder than that," Gray said as he attempted to catch his breath, not wanting to admit just how much magic freezing that cyclone took out of him, and given how much he used on the assault on phantom... He just hopes Max or Wakaba got back up, and fast.

"So that's where you went, Juvia was curious where you disappeared to," The bluenette said stoically as she took control of the rain around her, sucking it together, and forming the whip in her hand as she snapped it, before lashing out at the ice mage.

Loki simply sighed as he flipped back on his feet before dusting off his clothes as he looked back over to the other, before running towards them, planning on switching the teams up.

 **Cana's PoV**

"Suns strength!" The drunk called out as she threw three cards in the direction of Sol, only to watch in annoyance as he once again sunk under the ground, forcing her to jump back as a pillar of earth erupted from the ground not even half a second later.

"I know of your plight, even if I was unable to conduct my spell, upon simple touch I know of your past, and about why you even joined Fairy Tail in the first place," Sol taunted as he emerged from the ground as his body began to stretch, as he began to dodge all of Cana's shuriken cards, dodging and weaving like a snake, but in three dimensions.

"Shut up! Wind Edge!" Cana called out as she grabbed two cards with bonds hands, before tossing them towards the slithering Sol who moved out of the direction of the cards, that had fused together, forming an arc of air similar to Juvia's water slicer.

"Sherry, let's switch opponents," Loki yelled as he ran towards Sol, making her nod as she turned towards Juvia, before beginning to run forward, with her rubble golem following behind her, as she watched the ice and water.

"Twister!" Loki yelled when he got closer, using his right hand to fidget with the ring on his left InDesign finger, making a green magic circle form in front of him before Sol was surrounded in a tornado, that the Fairy Tail mages were safe from due to Linda's gravity magic negating the sucking force on only the fairies.

"Sable Dance!" Sol said making a twister of sound form, not around any of the fairies, but around himself, but in the opposite direction than Loke's twister, negating it.

Sol was left there standing, with his slim burgundy suit rumpled and slightly tattered, and the monocle on his right eye was lightly crushed, leaving the glass cracked, as he stood there, his shoulders shaking as Loki, Cana, Libra, and Yukino standing there, watching as they all fiddles with their respective magic items, worried as to what he would attack with now.

"Gravity x50 reverse!" Yukino cries out before Sol even had the chance to utter a single word, making Libra gesture with her hands as a purple magic circle formed under Sol, but this time lifting him into the air, removing him from the ground, and restricting his power over their arena.

"Icicle!" Cana shouted at the same time as she threw three cards towards the airborne Sol, the cards fusing as they got closer to him, making a blue light appear as it turned into dozens of ice bullets. When they impacted on his body, freezing his snake-like body in place, ten feet in the air.

Loki had jumped upwards, his attack amplified as he entered Libra's gravity reverse, twisting his hips as he pulled his fist back, before throwing it forward, striking Sol and sending him out of the gravity reversal, and sending his cracked, icy body plummeting towards the ground

"Non, non, non. This will not do! I had attempted to apprehend you all nicely. Mais Maintenance VoUS DEVeZ PAYER!" Sol yelled as the ground literally exploded around them in a thirty-foot diameter. Forcing even Gray and Sherry to jump to the side, his anger making him change to French without intention.

Even as Libra increased the gravity to 200x the normal gravity, she had struggled to simply keep the ground beneath them, on the ground, as rocks began to float in the air all around them, before they began to fly towards the Fairy Tail Mages.

"Orchestrated Roche Concerto!" Sol cried out as the hundred of boulders flew in the air, making even Gray and Sherry stop attacking the winded, but barely injured Juvia to go on defense, as the bluenette simply stood there, knowing that Yukino didn't have enough magic to send them all back into the sky.

After a few seconds, the huge boulders began to rain down upon the Fairies, even forcing Erza and the balding men to move to the side, lest they get caught up in the plummeting debris. The rocks began to gain speed as it plummeted towards the ground, beginning to smolder as they reached terminal velocity.

The fighting Fairy Tail mages began to gather in on one spot, as Yukino and Cana prepared to create a small safe area, trusting that Sherry and Gray could protect themselves, especially since everyone was running to low on magic to form a large enough shield or barrier.

"Gravity reverse dome!" Yukino cried out in fear as a purple magic circle grew under their feet, expanding in diameter as a purple dome made of gravity magic grew around the Fairy Tail mages, as Sol slipped underground, before going slinking under Loke, Cana, and Yukino, searching through all their ripe memories, making him actually pause as to who suffered more trauma, as Yukino barrier quickly began to break and shatter due to her lack of magic after the first few hits were not repelled away.

"Explosion Cards! Winds Edge! Fiery Eruption! _Supernova!_ " Cana called as she held each different card combination in a different hand before tossing them towards the now breaking barrier, making them glow as it fused together, making a stronger, more potent explosion, that sent the surrounding rubble everywhere, launching it all skywards at supersonic speeds, making a thunderclap ring through the streets, even cracking some of the glass of nearby buildings as a shockwave was sent, completely obliterating the gravity barrier and leaving Cana exhausted as she fell to her knees.

Once the gravity barrier shattered, the Fairies were quickly pushed to the ground due to the sheer force of the explosion that shot the last few rocks out to the side, protecting them from the rocks as they struggled to get back to their feet, feeling completely drained, with Sol Nowhere in sight.

"Oui, I can see it all, the blood on your hands, the ghosts of your past, and the guilt that you carry," Sol said creepily as he finished his trap, writing the last magic circle before he struck. "Merci La Vie!" Sol cried out as the ground underneath all of the Fairy Tail Mages began to glow before the ground began to slowly travel up the mages bodies making Erza's eyes widen in shock as she began as she saw their faces contort in pain.

 **Gray's PoV**

"You're now alone... Juvia thinks you are all underestimating Juvia," The water mage said as she began to whip at Gray with her water cane, watching the dark-haired man duck and doge under her whip, only to notice the pink haired woman and her golem begin to run towards them.

Sherry stopped away from the fight when she was but three feet away from the still dodging ice mage, who couldn't risk releasing a burst of magic to freeze the whip, due to him running so low. Sherry quickly made her golem reach forward, grabbing the dodging Gray before tossing him in the air, just as Juvia's water cane slashed through his midsection, dispelling the golem.

"Ice Make; Freezer Lance!" Gray called from his vantage point in the air as a large, four foot in diameter blue magic circle formed in front of his body, before it glowed, as a dozen Lance's shout out of the magic circle, picking up speed as they began to plummet towards the stationary water mage, who simply sighed as she turned her body back into water.

"Doll Attack! Water Serpent!" Sherry called just as Juvia's body shifted into water, making the bluenette eyes shoot open in shock as she saw her body begin to move and wharp, joining with the rain as her body turned serpentine, making the bluenette grit her teeth as she let Sherry control her body, as the Lance's tore through her body, making her eyes shoot open in shock when the impact points began to freeze.

"Juvia wanted to simply knock you out and the. Then Juvia could go back to being alone! But now Juvia is mad!" The water mage said in anger, annoyed at everything, with years of loneliness and pain simply joining the mix, as her body began to heat up, making Gray's eyes open in shock as he saw his ice begin to melt back into water as Sherry fell to her knees, struggling to maintain control over Juvia's water body.

As more and more of Juvia's body began to melt back into the water, Gray watched in slight horror as the rain seemed to change direction, all falling towards Juvia as she finally melted the ice, making him watch in trepidation and annoyance as her water body began to grow.

"I am sorry Gray, I did not have enough magic to continue the spell," Sherry said as she panted in exhaustion, watching in slight fear as Juvia's body did not return to a humanoid shape, but remained as water.

"Juvia will finish you off! Sierra!" Juvia called out as some of her water body lifted up, letting both Gray and Sherry see her face, which were simply her facial features projected by the water. She then shot down, making Gray and Sherry dodge to different sides as Juvia crashed into the ground, making them watch in shock as the sheer force of the attack had left a small crater.

Juvia struck again, but this time split into two separate bodies of water as they each shot out after a Fairy.

Gray rolled forward, his ears catching the sound of the water crashing into the ground to his side. Just as he got back on his feet, he felt some of the scalding water wrap around his ankle, tripping him as the hot water encased his body.

"Freeze!" Gray muttered as he attempted to break free as he began to feel the water begin to burn his body and soak his clothes, but he was too exhausted, both magically and physically, to be able to freeze the water around him or for him to even attempt to struggle and get free.

Juvia continued to hold him into he passed out due to lack of oxygen, as she did the same with Sherry, who had put up much less of a fight, simply because she didn't have as much magic as Gray did, and because Juvia had too much control over the water.

 **Juvia's PoV**

"Juvia does admit she has never seen an ice mage as skilled as you are," Juvia admitted with a sigh as she began to revert back into human form, as she called upon the water to bring both Sherry's and Gray's bodies to her as she turned around, sighing in sadness as she watched Sol maliciously tear apart each and every of the Fairy Tail Mages he was fighting, using his Earth statues to individually tear apart each mage as the Titania stared in horror.

Once she had a hand on both Gray and Sherry she began to drag them forward as she watched the Titania attempt to talk Cana out of her nightmares, surprise clear on her face as Cana called out to Gildarts... Before reverting to daddy. Calling out in remorse and Pain, as she sobbed, and cried out unheard, or unneeded apologies as she cried for him to come back, before crying for her mother.

The injured mages didn't even care about Loke's muttering "I killed her," as they watched Yukino actually blackout due to too much stress. They were, however, surprised by Cana calling Gildarts dad, watching as Sol used perfectly formed statues of Gildarts, a young girl with long white hair, and a beautiful woman with long green hair. Someone that Wakaba recognized as Karen Lilica from Blue Pegasus, due to a Sorceress Weekly photoshoot. But what they didn't appreciate, was how Sol was actually torturing their friends, not physically, but mentally, and those are the scars that cannot be healed so easily.

Wakaba raised his pipe to his mouth, in an attempt to call upon his magic once more, only to begin to cough, his lungs unable to consume or even attempt to breathe in any more smoke, he raised his mouth as he continued to cough. When his coughing fit subsided, he inhaled deeply, trying to restore the oxygen as his eyes caught the glint of red on his skin, only to stare at his hand in shock when he realized his palm was painted in his own blood. Macao was just as surprised when he saw the blood on Wakaba's hand, having had never, _ever_ seen Wakabe cough up blood, no matter how much magic he used. Max begin to struggle, his hands trying to find purchase to aid him to stand up, but his tired hands were struggling to grip anything of use.

Once Juvia got closer Erza quickly took notice of the bluenette dragging her guildmates on the ground and attempted to get up, pulling Requipping a few swords that she shot towards the bluenette, who simply ignored the swords as they passed through her before she dropped Gray on the ground.

"Water Lock" Juvia said as she held her right hand up, as the rain began to circle around Erza, encasing her in a huge sphere of water, watching as the Titania requipped her Sea Empress Sword, attempting to control the water lock, making Juvia sigh as she increased her control over the water lock, unaware of the injured mages shocked faces at seeing Erza so easily knocked out, even if she was exhausted.

Juvia then grabbed Gray again as she continued to drag Sherry and Gray forward, before dropping them beside the now unconscious Erza before turning to Sol, her eyes catching onto the three injured mages who were staring at Sol in a mixture of pain and anger.

Juvia simply sighed as she used Yukino's wet clothes and some of the rain to lift her over, the white-haired girl having had broken free of Sol's spell because of losing consciousness. Juvia sighed in sadness as she simply added to the pile of unconscious fairies, before walking towards the injured mages, intending on dealing with them if necessary, to capture them.

She was unsurprised to see them attempt to attack her, a weak blast of sand and a half-hearted plume of smoke rose to attack her, only for them to watch in annoyance as it simply passed through her body.

"Juvia thinks you could have put up a good fight if you weren't so injured, or Magically drained," The bluenette said as she waved her hand, as globes of water encased their heads, beginning to drown them as they attempted to claw their necks, and remove the dome so they could breath, and the minute they passed out she removed the water from their bodies, before summoning a large wave of water to bring the mages over to the others, completely unaware of the unconcious, sickly wizard saint hidden under the trash.

"Monsieur Sol, Juvia believes that they have had enough," Juvia said as she looked at the pile of unconscious fairies, surprised that Cana and Like had stayed conscious for so long, as they obviously didn't have enough magic left to break the spell.

"Non, non, non, Madamesoille Juvia, my Cible deserve to suffer, for cracking Mon monocle," Sol said with a malicious grin on his face as he enjoyed watching Cana and Loke finish turning to stone before he forced them into unconciousness.

Juvia simply sighed as the Fairies sunk into the ground, courtesy of Sol, before they continued to their guild hall, no longer feeling as scared as they were, knowing that Jose would be mad that they had messed up their part of the plan. But, since they didn't see the blonde with this batch of fairies, they could only hope Aria or Gajeel had caught her.

 **Natsu's PoV**

"thanks for the food Mira," Natsu said with a grin in the platinum-haired woman's direction, as he picked up his dirty dishes before walking around the bar, intending to help her clean up, only to watch in a mixture of confusion as she took the plate right out of his hands before walking to the back and going to clean them herself.

He stood there, utterly confused until he realized she may still be mad at him using the forbidden arc. Shiko sighed as she looked at the Wizard Saint, finding it slightly difficult to feel bad for his obliviousness.

"Natsu, how about we go check on Ur before you lead your assault?" Shiko said with an exasperated look on her face as she stood up, her voice breaking him out of his stupor as he nodded in agreement.

"Alright! Fairy tail listen up!" Natsu called out as he flashed onto one of the tables in the middle of the room, making everyone look up at him, curious about what he had to say. "I'm going to go to Porylusica's, but I'll be returning in thirty minutes... Who wants to come with me and assault Phantom?" Natsu asked, speaking louder so that everyone heard him loud and clear.

Elfman, Jet, Droy, Laki, Shiko, Warren, Alzack, and Bisca stood up, making him smirk as they walked towards him before they circled around the table he stood at, showing that they wanted to be the secondary attack force.

"Alright, gear up and get ready, because in thirty minutes... We'll be bringing the pain!" Natsu said with a malicious grin on his face as he jumped off the table landing directly beside Shiko as he placed his hand on her shoulder. Mira watched him from the makeshift sink they set up in the storage room, surprised when he turned his head, catching her eye as fireformed directly in front of her face, forming a small, but there heart. Mira smiled as the two flashed away, making everyone run around, grabbing supplies and planning their attack, just in case Natsu forgot to.

And within a mere minute Natsu and Shiko flashed into existence in front of Porylusica's tree, the latter stumbling and almost falling over, if it wasn't for the Saint catching her shoulders before she had a chance to fall, holding on, and allowing her to stabilize herself.

"... Wow, uh... Next time Warn someone before you do something like that!" Shiko yelled in annoyance as she tore his hands off her shoulders in mock annoyance as she glared at him, making him smile as he held his palms out.

"Yeah, next time, but come on, let's see how sleeping beauty is," Natsu said with a smirk as he walked towards the tree, holding his hand out just like Erza did as the illusion shattered, before he walked up the steps with Shiko behind him, before stopping, expecting him to knock on her door, only for her eyes to shoot open in shock as she watched him open the door, letting himself in.

He quickly walked right towards Ur, closing his eyes as he held his hand over the woman's chest, as Shiko ran up the steps behind him, prepared to yell at him for simply barging into the woman's home, only to watch as the pink Haired healer calmly walked out of the kitchen.

"Damn brat never knocks," Porylusica told the confused green-haired woman with a steely grit to her she placed another tea above the stove, not even bothering to attempt to light it, because as soon as she took a step the fireplace quickly erupted in flames, making Shiko roll her eyes as she approached the Saint standing above the comatose woman.

"Oh come on Grams, you know you don't mind," Natsu said with a smile on his face as he continued to listen into Ur's body, as Porylusica stood beside him before smacking the back of his head.

"I've learned not to after the hundredth time," the older woman said with annoyance as she pushed him to the side, knowing he was done with his own diagnostics as she grabbed Ur's legs, before gently and slowly bending them, raising her knee before setting it back down and repeating the process ten times before moving to the next leg.

Natsu sighed as he opened his eyes, making Shiko look at him as she walked around to the opposite side of Ur.

"I honestly have no idea why she's not awake, her heart is healthy, her blooding is pumping properly, her breathing is good..." Natsu said with a sigh as he enveloped his hand in green flames, before lighting his other hand on fire, before walking to Ur's head and placing a hand on each side of her head.

He closed his eyes as he slowly, and carefully began to pump small amounts of his magic into her brain, his control over Hai fire so great he could almost feel where his fire is, and what it was touching, as he pushed his flames to her brain stem, checking for any abnormalities.

Sherry watched, confused as to what he was doing, as Porylusica continued to exercise Ur's muscles, now moving to her hands, exercising her fingers and thumb, making sure they all moved properly.

"What are you doing?" Shiko asked after a minute as she watched Natsu retract his hands as he opened his eyes, the fire now dispelled from his hands as he took a step back.

"Honestly? Not a clue... I was trying to make sure that all of her essences that we collected from the water, was hers... But I got absolutely nothing. It's like she's stuck inside her head." Natsu said as he continued to stare at the woman on the table before them, not in a bad way, but simply watching her.

"I never thought I would ever say this... But Natsu's right. Her body is in peak physical condition. All her muscles are performing above and beyond that of even an A class mage, her Nerves are functioning properly as well." Porylusica said with a sigh as she turned around before approaching the Fire Place, removing the kettle before grabbing a fresh cloth.

"So what do we do now?" Shiko asked as she covered her right hand in her own magic, a glint of light catching Porylusica's eye as she set up the nutrient drip.

"What type of magic is that?" Porylusica asked quickly, her voice regaining a bit of its steel as the older woman stared Shiko in the eyes, having had never seen an object capable of healing magic, let alone to that extent.

"It's... It's called Twilight Healing... It's a holder type of magic. It allows me to heal more than just humans," Shiko said as she looked down at her hands, revealing the rings on each middle finger, as even Porylusica stared at the green haired woman in shock, as well as Natsu, as neither of them had ever heard of such a magic, watching as she looked back up, looking both of them in the eyes.

"Where on earthland... I've never heard of that before, ever. Can you heal Devils? Dragons?" Natsu asked shocked as he looked at the woman, curious as to what other entities her magic could work on.

"Devils... Angels... And humans," Shiko said with a sigh as she looked down at the rings on her hands before she looked to Porylusica.

"And since Moon Drip was a mental ailment, you magic had no effect, even though they were demons... Do we need to find someone who can heal the mind?" Natsu asked confused as he turned to the more experienced woman, waiting for her advice.

"Perhaps... We'll talk later, I'm sure you have somewhere to be. Now get out, my home stinks of humans." Porylusica said as she returned to the kitchen as Natsu sighed before turning to the green-haired woman.

"She's not mad at you if that's what you're worried about, she just needs to do some research and figure out how to heal Ur. She hates not knowing things. And humans." Natsu said with a sigh as he walked towards the door, opening it as Shiko followed behind them, both of them losing their glee due to their inability to heal Ur.

"How can she hates humans, she's a human herself," Sherry asked confused as they walked down the steps of her home before stopping a few feet from the bottom, with Shiko turning and watching as the illusion repaired where they walked out of.

"I asked Makarov the same thing when I first met her, he said that she hates humans and how power hungry and selfish they are. And those are both true qualities of almost everyone. Allowing her to hate humans in general." Natsu said with a despondent smile as he reached his hand out, three inches from her shoulder as he looked to her, making the green haired healer roll her eyes as she nodded her head, the last things that showed they were there was his laughter echoing through the trees as they disappeared in a flash of fire.

They reappeared in front of Natsu's home, surprising Shiko because at first, she thought he knew where they had all stayed the night before until she realized that this was his home as well and that he may have needed for the assault.

He quickly approached the door, placing his hand on the handle and opening the door, making her realize that Happy may not have locked the door. When he didn't feel her following him in, he turned around, gesturing her inside.

"It's okay, I already knew you all stayed here last night... If you want to you can stay if you wish, it'd be nice if someone stayed while I was away on Missions or meetings anyways," Natsu said as he turned his head back to her, giving her a smile making Shiko roll her eyes, as he practically invited two women to live with him, and neither is his girlfriend. 'I never thought he could actually be this oblivious...' Shiko thought, honestly feeling a little pity for Mira.

"Do you wish to fight, or simply heal any injured members?" Natsu asked loudly as he led her up the stairs, making her actually think for a second, especially since she had no offensive capabilities herself.

"Maybe I should just stay on defense, I don't have any offensive spells myself," Shiko told him honestly as he led her towards a metal door, confusing her since everything else was rustic and wooden.

"Good idea, but, do you want any gear or supplies?" Natsu asked as he turned to her, pushing his hand against the frame of the door and releasing a large amount of magic into what would have been a key or locking system. Shiko watched as the door began to slide open, revealing a room Shiko would have never expected Natsu to have.

Natsu walked in, quickly gesturing Shiko to follow, and she was shocked to see a very organized room, various deadly weapons adorning the walls, with different sets of armor on mannequins around the room.

One of them was bare, making Shiko remember the green hunting suit he had on during his stay on Galina Island. He walked to the left side of the room, where the full wall was covered in shelves, with different suppliers were neatly organized, including some weird amber lacrimas.

Natsu pointed to a certain area of shelves as he approached a set of armor, making her look to the shelf before taking a step forward. The room was very large, having a white and modern almost sterile design, with marble tile floors and was illuminated with multiple different lacrimas. There were also a few cabinets and shelves hidden under a large white table in the middle of the room, covered in maps and newspaper clippings.

"Grab whatever you want, some of them are bound to get hurt," Natsu said as he began undressing behind her, not that she was quite aware of it yet. She began looking through the materials, seeing gauze, ointments, salves, and other types and materials of bandages, before picking out what she wanted, to save as much magic as possible since they have no idea what condition the primary assault team was in, especially since there have been no communications from them.

When Shiko turned around, prepared to show him what she had grabbed, she had dropped everything in shock, seeing the man practically naked except for his underwear as he began to grab the pieces of armor from a mannequin in front of him.

Natsu quickly turned around at her gasp of shock, worried that she had hurt herself on something, letting her see all the scares he had gained over his life as a mage, especially the large scar that wrapped around his right shoulder, making her confused, as a scar like that could only be...

"Hey, Shiko, you okay?" Natsu asked as he took a step forward, his keen eyes quickly taking stock of the supplies she wanted before he walked forward, taking them from her hands as he requipped a bag, and putting them in the bag before holding it out to her.

"How do you have so many scars..." Shiko asked with her face pale as a ghost, her voice quiet as she began to realize that he deserved a lot more respect than most people gave him, especially some of his guild.

"Oh, those... Training, Missions... You know, the usual," Natsu said with a shrug as he looked at her, confused when she raised her hand to touch his shoulder, making him sigh at the memory.

"Oh... That one... I kind of... My arm got torn off by Acbologia," Natsu admitted with a sigh as he looked the green-haired woman in the eyes, shocking her as she had never seen someone be able to regrow a whole limb, without, or with magic.

"Me and Gildarts would have died I'd my father hadn't stepped in... It was an eye-opener. I was a prodigy, and nobody my age could keep up, I was already ranked seventh in the Wizard Saints and I thought I was unstoppable. I admit completely that I was an arrogant little shit, but when I failed to do the one thing my magic is for, even with the aid of Gildarts... It taught me humility." Natsu admitted as he turned around, his story almost making Shiko want to cry.

She also began to understand a little as to why his guild wasn't too receptive of him, because his arrogance from power made them feel inadequate, and they could do nothing but watch him grow and throw it in their face... But to not realize he had learned his lesson...

"What about the other ones, could you not use those green flames to heal them?" Shiko asked curiously as she began to walk around the room, looking at all the weapons he had on the walls. Guns, staves, maces, swords, bows, and other weapons were spread all around the room, all of them having their own home and hook to return to.

All the weapons were organized in their own sections, but Shiko quickly began to realize that there were quite a few empty hooks as well. She put the bag of supplies over her shoulder before she began to walk around the room, examining a few of the weapons until a certain one caught her eye.

It was a dual bladed staff, with a green, almost nature inspired wooden handle, that had branches as twigs coiling around the handle. The body of the staff looked to be about four feet long itself, with certain places where the growth was controlled, obviously crafted to handle. The blades on each end looked almost like leaves, made out of an interesting striped green metal, but the blades had more corners than curves.

Natsu turned around after having put on his new set of armor, a smile growing on his face when he saw the weapon Shiko was looking at.

"You know how to use that?" Natsu asked with a smile as he walked forward,.stopping about a foot from Shiko's right shoulder, making her turn around, startled out of her daze.

"Uh, no-" Shiko began to explain, only to be cut off by Natsu as he began walking around the room, grabbing different weapons at what seemed to be random.

"Well, what weapon do you know how to use? If at all." Natsu asked as he grabbed a sniper rifle and a bandolier of two pistols and Requipping them away.

"Well, I kind of know how to use a bow but-" Shiko began to explain as she turned around, watching him walk towards the sword section and grabbing a sword and a set of daggers before Requipping both away as well.

"See any you like?" Natsu asked as he pointed to the small selection of bows he owned, before walking towards the table in the middle of the room before bending over, and grabbing a brown bag from one of the drawers and putting it in his magic space as well.

"What are you doing?" Shiko asked, confused as to why he grabbed so many different weapons, without equipping any of them at all, and leaving him empty handed.

"You're not the only one I'm going to gear up, I don't know what condition their weapons are in, but all of these are the best weapons money can buy, perks of being a very active Wizard Saint," Natsu explained as he stood back up before rolling his shoulders and walking towards the Green-Haired hermit.

He stood behind the woman, watching as her eyes traced over bows before her eyes settled on an intricate, but basic recurve bow, that even had its own quiver of arrows hanging beside it.

"Take it, I don't use that one, It was a mission reward a while back," Natsu said kindly making Shiko turn around looking him in the eyes to make sure he was being honest, lest she takes advantage of his kindness. Upon seeing the honesty in his eyes, she carefully raised her arms up, before taking the bow off the wall, running her hands over the engravings.

The bow was of a simplistic design, being made completely out of a dark wood that was expertly crafted and stained, with dark green engravings around the whole bow, with a simple dark brown leather grip wrapped around the handle.

She then reached up after shifting the bow into one hand, and grabbed the quiver, her grip on the strap almost spilling the arrows if Natsu hadn't caught it with his hand, before he took it out of her arms, sliding the strap up her arms before settling it around her shoulder so that she could draw with her left hand.

"Thank you, you didn't have to do that... How can I pay you back?" Shiko asked, having a feeling that Natsu was unaware that they had their own Guild marks. She turned around to look him in the eyes, but a glint of light caught her eye, allowing her to get a good look at the armor he was wearing.

Natsu's head was left bear, choosing not to wear a helmet, as even the best helmet would interfere with his Dragon Slaying senses, a mistake he could not make when fighting a mage of Gajeel's or, more importantly, Jose's caliber.

He had elaborate clawed shoulder guards, made of what seemed to be hardened black scales outlined in a silent metal, with multiple rivets on the perimeter of the guard. On the bottom of the shoulder guards were claws or even teeth, that fanned out around the bottom, with the largest claw being in line with the bones in his arm. The Golden metal outline on tip of the shoulder guard, near his neck, was refined into an edge, not shattered, but strong.

On the chest plate, near his top ribs, there was a slit of black leather, with a golden buckle barely hidden under the shoulder guard, obviously how the guard itself was mounted. The rest of the chest guard was made completely out of the same Golden metal, with scales engraved on the three metal plates that had small slits under the bottom edge of each plate, allowing him full flexibility and protection in his chest area.

The bottom plate of the chest guard slightly covered the pelvis, protecting one of the largest males weak spots of the body, with leather and padding underneath. The top of his thighs, near the waist, was made of the same black scales as his shoulder guard, granting both protection and a full range of motion metal could not. There were symmetrical on each of his thighs, that covered all the way around, with a slope towards his knee, that created an edge that had a tip pointed towards his pelvis.

Above his knee were three layers of the same black scales,.creating an almost staircase pattern that climbed up his knee, allowing full bending of his knees, and by this point, it was more than clear that this was crafted by a master blacksmith and was very costly. At the top of his shins were three spikes spaced equally, almost like a trident. The spikes were just like those on his shoulder plates, but this time covering his knee, adding protection to such a vital joint.

He had a small Golden metal plate covering the bone of his shin, looking like a stretched isosceles triangle that has a base at the start of his ankle. His foot was covered in three layers of the same black scales, but this time climbing towards his ankle, with his toes topped off in three claws, spaced just like the ones on his knee guard.

On his arms, he had a thin Golden metal brace covering his elbow joint, with the black scales on both his bicep and tricep, covering his whole body, except his face in the black scales. He had two spikes protruding from the outside of his forearm, almost like a fun, with the sides of his forearms covered in the engraved Golden metal in what almost looked to be in the shape of a leaf. His hands were covered with the black scales, climbing towards his wrist, with each of his fingers tipped with a shot, one-inch claw.

On his back was a pair of large, pitch black dragon wings made out of, you guessed it, black scales. The bone of the wings were made out of the Golden metal, with the tip of the top fading joint having a claw pointing to the sky.

Overall, he looked both dangerous, and attractive in the Skintight suit, that was obviously inspired by his magic, even if she was curious whether the wings actually worked.

"If anything I should be thanking you, for helping us with everything, and even offering to help with Ur,'" Natsu said with a smile as he walked towards her, before leading her out of the room in a comfortable, but anxious silence as he relocked the door to the armory.

"But you've supplied me a roof until I find my own place, surely that makes up for it?" Shiko asked confusedly, unused to this type of kindness as they began walking to his own room, making her watch as he opened the door.

"Eh, still keep it, I obviously have more than I use," Natsu said with a smile in her direction before he walked inside with no gesture for her to stay out. She waited a few seconds as she heard him moving stuff around, before deciding to follow, having had grown bored at the crimson walls.

When she walked in she was surprised to see the room fairly bare, showing that he lived a more minimalist lifestyle, rather deciding to spend his money on gear or equipment, rather than trinkets. What she was surprised to see, however, was him moving his bed away from the wall, before he enveloped his hands in those dangerous dark red flames and press it against the wall.

She watched in shock as an illusion was broken before her eyes, showing a large trap door was revealed on the wall, made out of the same metal as the armory, with even more intricate locks and security, she watched as he removed the glove on his right hand, before slicing creating a small cut on his hand with the claws on his left hand, making Shiko watch in shock as he placed his bloody hand against the metal, before lowering his head to be parallel with a one inch diameter hole in the metal, as a blue light glowed before scanning his eye.

After five seconds Natsu pulled his bloody hand back before a handle appeared, allowing him to open the door as he put his Leighton hand in the safe. Shiko watched curiously as a cage white light could be seen, before he pulled his hand back out, and licking the safe once more, before drawing a magic circle with his bloody hand on the wall, before the safe was once again hidden in an illusion, making Natsu stand up, about to put his glove on before he was stopped by the healer.

"What do you keep in there that requires that type of seal?" Shiko asked with a sigh as she began to walk forward before slinging her new bow over her shoulder as she took his bleeding hand in hers, and quickly sealing the cut with her magic, making a smirk grow on his face as he requipped a towel, wiping the blood off his hand before putting his glove back on.

"That safe holds some money, and some _books on magic,_ per say," Natsu said as he winked at her before walking towards his bed before he pushed it back in place throwing the bloody towel to the side making Shiko roll her eyes as she followed him out of the room, and down the stairs to the front.

"I suppose, that is worth keeping safe, but why didn't you use your own flames on yourself?" Shiko asked curiously as she watched him open the door, before stepping outside, revealing the I crease y familiar area her resided in, him outside and watched as he locked the door.

"I may be fighting a wizard saint in a short hour, I figured I should save as much magic as possible," Natsu said after a minute with a shrug making as he walked down the steps before raising his right hand, moving towards her shoulder, making the healer sigh as she closed her eyes, attempting to prepare herself for the travel, unsure if she even wanted to know how it worked.

 **Phantom PoV**

The phantoms were very spirited, laughing and cheering as they drank their win, despite the fact that at least half their guild was now unconscious, or so injured that they probably couldn't work for a week or so, especially since Fairy Tail only held back enough so that nobody would die, leaving some mages with broken bones, lacerations, and even one mage suffered a compound fracture in their Fibula, due to getting smashed to the side by Polaris when he was running Erza through the crowd.

Gajeel was sitting in his usual corner and was even moodier than usual especially due to Jose's response to him allowing Fairy Tail to escape, especially the Titania, a woman with the power of an army, and now Jose had no chance to force her to submit.

 _Flashback_

"Why would you allow them to escape you stupid lizard?! I thought you were stronger than that, but it seems like you're even more of a coward than the fairies!" Jose's daunting phantom projection screamed as it towered over Gajeel who was standing in Jose's office, reporting the success of the fight as everyone else began to seek medical attention in the basement.

Jose was communicating through a large seven-foot tall phantom projected from a large dark violet, almost obsidian magic circle on the ground, that was almost like a communication lacrima, but also allowed Jose to appear whenever someone poured magic into the circle, which was the exact same way they were able to trick Makarov, only this time he appeared as a simple projection of his magic to save on power.

"I apologize, Master, it will never happen again," Gajeel said through gritted teeth as he was forced to one knee as Jose's phantom struck him, the force from even his magical projection was enough to make Gajeel injured knees buckled, shaking the whole guild in the process as Jose pulled his arm back, revealing glowing red eyes that glared down at Gajeel.

"I am sending Aria back with Totomaru as well, I got word from the council that Makarov reported us, and that Natsu was back on his way, hopefully, Juvia and Sol should be on their way as well... Let the rest of the guild members take on any friends the _Salamander_ brings with him, and take the brat out any, way, _possible._ I am currently en route with the girl," Jose growled out as he towered over the injured slayer, who was currently biting his tongue, as to not talk back to the man before him, who only seemed to earn the slayers disrespect in his struggle for power.

"Yes master," Gajeel bit out as he rose to his feet, his pride making him unable to even wince as he turned around before approaching the exit, only to be stopped by Jose's projection when he touched the door handle.

"And Redfox, do not fail me, or there _will_ be consequences," Jose growled out before his projection began to grow, seemingly sucking in the darkness in the whole room, creating a small vortex of darkness, creating something akin to a black hole on the magical circle on the floor, before Jose's projection was sucked into hole before it was quickly dispelled, making Gajeel growl in anger before he literally tore the door, and frame out of the wall, before he stormed down to the ground floor.

 _Flashback End_

Gajeel's head shot up and turned to the door mid-munch, as his hand hovered in front of his face, holding a metal spoon as he watched the door, a frown growing on his face when he began to smell the accompanying scents on the incoming people, making a frown grow on his face as he realized what this all meant.

He watched in annoyance as the doors were pushed open, the scent of rain and dust quickly assaulted his senses as the perfectly dressed Juvia began to walk in, folding up her umbrella once she was completely inside the building, as the pitter-patter of falling rain could now just barely be heard in the din of the room. A disorganized, and messy Sol quickly followed the water maiden in, his normal perfectly kept suit was tattered and torn, leaving some of his pasty white skin visible to the eyes, catching the attention of many of the still conscious mages as they stared at the S-Class mage in shock, some even standing up, and leaving their chairs to see if Sol was alright.

"Non, non, non. Stay where you seat, for I... have a treat!" Monsieur Sol announced with a malicious smirk on his face as he raised his hands to the sky, making some of the phantoms roll their eyes as the ground began to shake, catching everyone's attention as they watched a sinkhole appear in the middle of their guildhall, making some of the rubble from broken tables and chairs fall into the ground. Everyone, even Gajeel watched as the ground in the hole began to rise up, making the whole guild hall shake as one by one the Fairy tail mages from before appeared, their unconscious bodies piled, showing how pitiful they truly looked, especially both Cana and Loke, who were locked in an eternal cringe.

"Oui, when a Phantom fails, their hands are coated in the blood of their enemies," Sol announced as he began to walk through the now cheering mages who completely ignored Juvia, who simply lowered her head in sadness before she slowly walked towards the corner of the room, silent tears rolling down her face, making Gajeel's anger sky rocket, especially when he saw some of the men drift towards the innocent Yukino, the Lush Cana, and the Ordered Erza, their hands extended as they prepared to do things Gajeel would not want to know about.

Juvia was too depressed to even notice her guildmates movements, the tears coming even hard as she fell to her knees, the loneliness and depression almost being too much to bear, her only saving grace being Gajeel's companionship, and even then, sometimes that was not enough...

Just as the Phantoms were about to touch the fairies, the air shimmered before their eyes, revealing both Totomaru's and Aria's presence, the large air mage's body almost completely hiding the fairies from sight, their ignorance to the fallen fairies.

Totomaru is a young man, in his late teens or early twenties, with two-toned, black and white-hair tied up into a knot on the back of his head, leaving some of the white bangs on the right side of his face, while his forehead was predominantly covered in the black bangs. He bears a simple black tattoo on his face, spanning from his right cheekbone to the left, with a larger broken line connecting the two across his nose. He is wearing what appears to be an elaborate blush-red gi, held closed by a black belt, with apple red fur around the collar. The sides of his gi are made of a thick fishnet, with thinner, more loose fishnet on his forearms. His outfit is completed by the simple black shirt and pants under his gi, but the most prominent thing was the jeweled golden red katana on his waist.

Aria is a massive man, with no visible hair sprouting out from under his dark green Top hat, that completely matched his large dark green overcoat. He had a white wrap covering his eyes, which would have left many others blind, but his complete control over air allowed him to feel around the room, almost like an insect, sensing his surroundings without the actual use of his eyes. He almost looked like some sort of bishop, or priest, with the purple stole that hung on both sides of his neck all the way to the bottom of his coat. He wears a necklace sporting many different crosses linked to together with small bead, all leading towards the main pendant, the carving of a skull, but ironically, it had the same white wrap around its eyes that Aria did. His ankles were left bare, showing off his simple black sandals.

Totomaru quickly scanned the Guildhall as Aria simply stood there, quickly taking notice of how few members were actually present, making him grit his teeth as he looked around the room, quickly spotting the pile of fairies behind him, making a grin form on his face as he realized what type of an advantage they were at, especially since one of their only S-Class mages, and mages like Cana, or Gray who were practically S-Class themselves, were defeated, and disgraced. He even took notice of the brooding Gajeel, and sobbing Juvia, making him sigh as he looked at the staircase, which is where he assumed Sol was, probably singing up to Jose once more.

"You! Grab some rope, and tie them up! I want this trash in this basement, use magic restricting cuffs too," Totomaru commanded as he pointed to the mages in front of him, making them quickly salute before they ran around, collecting rope and cuffs, while Aria used his air magic, quickly levitating every Fairy, and laying them all out on their chests on the ground around them, allowing them to be quick, and efficiently restrained. Especially since Salamander was said to be on his way, making anxiety build in their hearts as the anticipation threatened to kill them.

Gajeel kept his eyes closely trained on the mages moving the Fairies, having had almost reached his limit with _everything._ With Jose, his struggle for power, and especially his cruel nature. 'I may want to take my own crack at the Salamander... but if the flame-headed fool is even half as strong as he is said to be... This won't be easy for any of them' Gajeel thought with a sigh, since Gajeel was still a little sore, even after all the magic he had regained from his little snack. He looked back to Juvia watching as her eyes lit up every time she thought someone would finally approach her, only to be consumed by gloom once more when they passed right by her.

 **Sol's PoV**

Sol slowly walked through the now open hallway to into Jose's office, courtesy of the Iron Dragon Slayer. He slowly took a deep breath as he began to compose himself, straightening his jacket, before pulling his handkerchief out of his pocket, and wiping the dust and blood from his face before he put it back in his pocket and sighing before walking forward and crouching before Jose's desk, placing his hands upon the magic circle, summoning a projection of Jose once more.

"Master, I have returned, We were unable to find our Cible, However! We-captured-the Titania and her lackeys!" Sol blurted out with a grandiose bow to the ghastly phantom now towering over the Earth Mage.

"I am aware... Fortunately, Aria was able to pluck her up inside our very own guild! While the Fairies watched, helpless! I have her bound, and were en route to their estate! With these connections, we will finally be greater than those Fairy Fails... especially when we have their Queen bound in our hall." Jose boomed, before he laughed maniacally, which was only enhanced through the projection, which seemed to distort his voice, making his voice even creepier than normal as his projection grew until it was twelve feet tall, making it seem as if the projections own appearance was influenced by his malicious emotions.

"Are... Are we excused?" Sol asked hesitantly as he looked at the now normal sized projection, still bowing as he tilted his head up to look at Jose, which almost proved that everyone followed Jose through fear, rather than companionship or friendship.

"Usually, I do not allow failure, but due to the... circumstances, you are excused," Jose said as his voice lowered, the threat practically hanging in the air as Sol winced, watching as the projection sunk back into the magic circle, leaving Sol alone once more in the room. He slowly rose out of his bow, his hand almost shaking as he reached into his pocket, taking his handkerchief back out, and wiping his brow, removing any lingering sweat before he left the room, memories of when Jose was not consumed by power and revenge coming to mind as he entered the main hall.

 **Natsu's PoV**

The secondary assault group were standing outside of the guild, tending a large bonfire Mira had instructed them to light, even if they were curious as to whether or not they would have to rent out a train car, just like the first assault group had to before them, as they all stood around, patiently waiting for Natsu to return, even if he was not yet late.

They watched with a mixture of curiosity and amazement as they watched a ball of fire almost appear sporadically not even three meters before them, before it quickly transmuted back into flesh and bones, in the form of Natsu and Shiko. They were, however, shocked to see Natsu's intimidating, even daunting as it emphasized his muscular and toned body, but what drew their eyes most were his wings, the first question coming to mind was whether or not it actually worked.

"Ahhh, you made a fire for me, thanks Mira!" Natsu said with a smile on his face as he took a step forward, before walking towards the crowd of Fairy Tail mages before stopping beside Alzack and Bisca in particular, making them look at him, confused.

"One thing before we go... take this," Natsu said as he requipped both the set of dual pistols and rifle he had grabbed out of his armory before holding them out towards the two gun mages, causing their eyes to shoot open in shock as they easily recognized just what Natsu held in his hands, as the rest only stared on confused.

"How did-" Alzack asked in shock, barely being able to form a coherent sentence as he extended his hands out towards the pistols in a reverent manner, while Bisca continued to stare at the rifle before he in shock, remembering it perfectly, as it was the exact gun she had seen in the last issue of Guns Weekly.

"How in the hell were you ever able to get your hands on one of these... There were only seven made in existence," Bisca asked as she began to glare at Natsu, thinking that he was simply trying to get into her pants, her shock forcing her to ignore the fact he had never, ever made an effort to do such a thing at all, even if both his role models didn't have a good reputation in this sort of thing at all.

"Honestly, partially due to my Wizard Saint position, and because I made a deal with the CEO of Heartz Kreuz to making me anything I need forever need for, with all the help I've given them," Natsu said with a sigh as he stood still in front of the bonfire pit, before taking a deep breath in, quickly expanding his lungs, and making his chest expand as he began to inhale, making the Fairies watch in curiousity as he began to suck all the fire into his mouth, making them watch as began to consume the fire from the flames.

"Here," Natsu said as he begins to walk towards the other mages requiring and handing out more and more weapons to the Fairies, making their hope only increase as they were now holding the strongest weapons they could ever hope to use, especially since Jet could be seen going around, now attempting to slice the already broken guilt to parts. He gave Jet the set of dagger, Droy the bag of Seeds,

And so they began to get ready to go to Oak Town, stepping closer and closer towards Natsu until he stopped short, looking around in confusion before he began to the sniffer, realizing that someone was _in fact missing._

"Where's Happy," Natsu asked confused, making everyone else's eyes shoot open in shock, as they began to look around, hoping beyond belief that he too, was not as well restrained as his magic began to almost waft off of him in varying different colors.

"Happy here! reporting for duty Sir!" The comedic blue cat announced a few minutes after the Fairies had begun their search, making Natsu roll his eyes as he looked at what was possibly his best friend, before with a shake of his head as he began to hold his arms out, prompting first Happy, then Shiko, Elfman, Bisca, Alzack, Warren, Laki to walk forward, and hesitantly hold hands before their bodies became engulfed in fire.

The fire was so surprising that it even made Bisca cry out in shock as her eyes shot closed, forcing her to cringe as she simply waited for the pain, only to noticed after a few minutes that he wasn't dangerous at all.

"What is this?" Warren asked, confused and doing his best to avoid using his magic, with his new shoes hanging off his desk, especially since it seemed like they were all about to get mended together, meaning that his telepathy could end up being quite fatal...

"It's a form of transmutation. Allowing me to not only turn myself to fire, but other's as well," Natsu explained through closed eyes as he continued to focus, making a large magic circle appear below his feet, as the fire began to compress the Fairy Tail mages down for transport. And the last thing Natsu saw, was when he quickly shot his head towards Mira as he gave her a smile, only to end up shocked when her response never reached her eyes, practically worryin Natsu as they all disappeared in an exploding ball of fire, leaving Mira standing outside their guild hall with a forlorn look on her face as she turned around, before re-entering the guild once more with a frown on her face.

* * *

a little side note, I want to apologize, for my lack of editing skills, and editing at all. I am aware, that as a writer on FanFiction, we are all held to certain standards, and that includes editing. Thus causing a dilemma, do you care more about those small errors? Or would you rather longer chapters? I write ninety percent of all of this story on my phone, and while I bought a specialized keyboard for my phone from a crowdfunding project, it still hasn't come in... And thus lots of stupid errors are present. If I were to get a beta editor, I would not be able to post on Saturday, as I literally finish writing, right before I post. If any of you do want to edit for me, I can always update the chapters afterward, but, that is beside the point.

Again, sorry, but, let me know what is more important, quantity, or quality :P (This will be removed after a week or so! I don't like all this clutter on the chapters,)

* * *

And onto the reviews!

Guest-33/22- Natsu has returned! Not what you expected huh? He kind of really did return already, but. Natsu will eventually have a relationship with all of the girls, but, uh, no promises on within a month or anything. Relationships and emotions take time and struggle to fully develop.

Guest-32/18- I have actually made up my own mock-up of the current saint standings, and there is still one spot left open, even with Jose and Siegrain, so, maybe its time for a new OC? Or, since I have already brought in twilight healing, perhaps there is someone from DxD that deserves the spot? (Don't just give names, give why :P). Who's to say Ur would join Fairy Tail? Or the fact that the council would _let_ her join Fairy Tail? She has to wake up first for all of that, and I have a few ideas on how I want that to happen, but, it seems they have to deal with Phantom first, huh.

Natsuharemfan & 2-32/18- That is true, it does seem that most demons are very selfish, and will do anything to survive, but if he were to be END anyways, would that not mean he already controls them without blackmail? I always did enjoy the END plot twist, but I worry it would make Natsu too OP, so I have held off on putting that in yet.


	35. A Battle Full of Consequences

And Onto the Story!

Citizens of Oak-town were both shocked and worried when they saw a large ball of fire shooting throughout the entire area, flying around buildings and through the streets, almost as if it for something.

It wasn't even moving around in a threatening way, instead choosing to stay away from people, and the heat and magic it gave off was not malicious or evil, but warm, and angry. They were only afraid, due to the fighting that was going on earlier, shaking their town as if it were an earth quake, especially since Phantom had attacked the fairies.

After it finished searching one area, it would disappear, and begin searching the next, it wasn't long before the ball of flame was completely out of sight, as they all recognized where it was heading, making some run to the other side of town, while the braver grabbed their cameras, and followed, knowing just how much Sorcerer Weekly would pay for some of this.

As this was the final stand of the Fairies, not only fighting for their pride and dignity, but for their friends, and for honour. Not to mention their earlier assault group, containing some of the fairies best has yet to return. But their best, had yet to try his own hand, and what worried them, was the fact he was now here, and they wanted to be _nowhere_ near him when he struck.

 **Second Assault PoV**

 **"** How is this even possible?" Alzack thought in confusion, unaware that his thoughts were now projected in the fire, through the hive mind encompassing flames could create.

"This is manly! If a little creepy," Elfman said aloud, intending to keep the last part to himself, only to listen in shock when his thoughts were projected as well.

"Hey, it's not manly to read a man's thoughts!" Elfman said aloud, making a few sigh and roll their eyes while other simply stared in shock, to amazed and confused to even form a coherent thought.

Warren was the most shock, but not because of how this was possible, but as to how Natsu was so perfectly linking everyone's minds, to the point no telepathic barrier or resistance could ever be used to prevent the hive mind effect.

"This is honestly kind of cool," Droy said aloud, unused to simply using thoughts as a form of communication as they all had a three hundred and sixty degrees view of everywhere they went, as they all searched for any signs of battle, but more importantly of their friends as they travelled through practically every street in Oak Town, covering an entire book in a matter of ten seconds.

"And kind of weird, I can't feel anything..." Droy said, agreeing with Jet as they looked around at all the scared faces until someone realized something.

"Natsu, if you can hear me, head down the street, we've been approaching a less Populus dense area, perhaps that's where a fight went down," Shiko thought aloud making everyone stop enjoying the experience, as they remembered just why they were here in Oak Town.

The encompassing flame became silent as they began traveling down the street, as they realized that Shiko was indeed correct, while Laki decided to stay silent, almost feeling that Natsu was invading their privacy, even though it was necessary, as they had reached Oak Town in under ten minutes from Magnolia.

"Over there! Down that street" Biscayne called out as everyone shifted their attention to where she called out, realizing some of the windows were now broken, they all watched in shock as they shot down the street faster than their eyes could follow, until they reached the battle zone.

The Fairy Tail Mages including a silent Happy watched in worry as they were slowly lowered towards the ground, everyone looking around, hoping to find some proof that their friends were okay, but from within the flames, they couldn't see anything.

They began to feel the weird, tingling sensation as they touched the ground, feeling and watching as the flames began to expand and grow, with the colours and shades separating into their own respective spot, as they began to form into bodies before their bodies reverted back to normal, making everyone, even the people inside the flames watch in pure curiosity as the flames began to rush back towards Natsu until they were completely out of sight, seemingly creeping into the chinks in his armor as it disappeared from sight.

Everyone continued to hold each other's hands, as some of their knees buckled, only to be held up by their friends who adapted faster than others, as they recovered from their literal out of body experience, but what some of then noticed, is that they didn't even have to consciously return to a normal breathing pattern, not even reforming out of breath, a perk of being turned into fire, an element that continuously consumes oxygen.

They turned to Natsu, curious as to what he wanted them to do, because he was their leader, become confused when they saw his face in a grimace as he kept his eyes closed, eyes shot open in shock before he disappeared in a flash, and only Bisca and Alzack trained eyes could barely follow as his fire body plummeted towards a dumpster, confusing them as the others stood there confused.

Natsu body quickly reappeared, making Happy fly forward with Shiko following him, partially worried as to what would make Natsu run like that without saying a word, only to become confused as he began throwing trash bags to the side, littering the street until he stopped, falling to his knees in literal shock as his fears were now confirmed.

When they saw Natsu fall to his knees everyone began to run forward, as Happy used his max speed, disappearing like his father, before his cute blue feline face was enveloped in rage. Jet, unsurprisingly was the next to make it to Natsu side, his eyes wide open before he closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead before he took a second look.

There laid Makarov, upon a pile of trash, his skin a sickly green color as he took in labored, raspy breaths. Happy turned to Natsu, worried to see his hands shaking as he clenched his eyes, the claws on his armor digging into his Pam, but not cutting through as he tries his best to stay in control, this being the confirmation that the Fairies had fallen.

Shiko quickly snapped out of her shock as she enveloped her hands in her green twilight magic, as she quickly fell at his side, sliding her hands all around his body in a clinical way as his breaths became less labored, but his skin retained that sickly green shade.

The Fairies stood there, feeling a mixture of horror and pure, unadulterated rage envelop their minds, hearts, and bodies as they realized the cold Hart truth in front of them, their master, the fifth strongest mages on their continent, no longer had his magic and was now simply an old man.

Laki quickly turned to Natsu when she heard cracking sounds, and her eyes shot open in shock when she saw the ground under his knees crack until the entire block began to shake. Happy stared in worry at his father figure, knowing that Natsu was doing his best to stay in control, something that was so very hard now, as Phantom crossed a line.

Touching someone's body was one thing, but touching their magic was a crime that is atoned for, that could never be truly fixed. Magic is special, but a peculiar thing, that grows, but never heals, that is alive, but never dies, only with the mage it resides in. But when you broke that balance...

The Fairies were about to take a step back before Natsu sighed, opening his eyes and revealing draconic slits in place of his pupils and cornea. No longer was his sclera a natural white, but it was now a sickly, golden yellow, that almost seemed to glow as his eyes trained on the sickly elder.

Jet and Droy backed up, remembering their fight with Gajeel earlier, and finally realizing that Natsu probably never went over fifteen prevent power, at max, when fighting them. And the worst thing in battle was not knowing your opponents limits.

Everyone else but Shiko simply stood there, not making a single movement, and ever trying to hold their breath as they have never seen Natsu like this before, if rarely at all in the first place. Everyone took a quick step back when they watched Natsu's body blur before he appeared in front of Makarov instantly, making them realize that what they were seeing was simply an after image, without the use of magic at all.

They almost trembled when they felt his magic skyrocket past even Gray's level in a microsecond as his body was enveloped with green luminous flames, making Droy and Laki even fall back from the force, but were luckily caught by the bulky Elfman, who simply placed a hand on their backs.

They watched in a mixture of curiosity and fear as they saw Natsu channel all the fire into not one hand, but two, condensing the flames to the size of a tennis ball as he continued to increase the density of the twin green fireballs.

They stared at him unsure, as they watched him hold both hands over Makarov's body as Shiko stood up and took a few steps back, trusting that Natsu would save his grandfather figure, as they all felt then anxiety build in their chests, worried for their master. But the most troubling part was that Natsu's magic output continued to grow at an exponential rate, forcing them to their knees as their heads began to throb, Natsu's monstrous, no, dragonous magic becoming actually painful for the Sub S-Class mages.

They gawked in pain as Natsu slammed both his hands, one over their masters head, and the other over his small cheat, at a speed Jet could barely even comprehend as they not saw, but felt Natsu's hands come in contact with Makarov's body, the shockwave sending even the bulky and muscular Elfman to the ground, as everyone else was shot into the street, except Shiko, who was flung into the bags of garbage on the opposite wall.

Jet and Happy were the first to recover, using their respective speed enhancements to see how Natsu and their master were doing, worried to see Natsu's armored body slumped on the ground in front of their master, but the closer they got, the better they felt, as they could begin to master's magic returning, barely,.but it was there.

They stopped by Natsu's side, Happy on the left and Jet on the right, as they looked at the two saints. Happy immediately began tending to Natsu, before he sighed, turning around and reaching into his bag, and grabbing out a lacrima nobody there recognized, confused at glowing, and swirling multi-colored lights swirling on the inside.

Jet was shocked to see that Makarov's skin had lost its unhealthy color as the old man's chest slowly moved up and down, but the most surprising thing was the green glowing magic circle on the old man's chest, that continued to glow brightly almost like a seal.

Shiko and Laki were next, as Alzack ran towards Bisca, intending to help her up, as Elfman pulled himself out of the indent his body made on the ground. Warren was the last to get to his feet, having a lot less fight and endurance than the rest, since telepathy wasn't a combat oriented magic, even if it was a very useful tool in battle.

"That... Was so manly!" Elfman cried out as he ran towards the others, his simple mind surprisingly being one of the first to understand what happened. Natsu somehow saved Makarov, and the white-haired brute didn't care, or know how all he knew is that he did.

Happy kept fluttering in front of Natsu face, his voice unheard by the rest as he was speaking in a whisper, while everyone else crowded around them, albeit slightly annoyed and sore, which was quickly overcome by relief when everyone felt Makarov's magic once more. Even Laki was elated at his increasing health, even if he was one of the largest perverts in the guild, only surpassed by Gildarts, Wakaba, and Macao.

"I... You are becoming more and more of an enigma, Natsu Dragneel," Shiko said with a side glance in his direction, after she finished her diagnostic on Makarov, not understand how he did it, since all he should have done was filled Makarov's magic container with his own magic, rather than Makarov's own titan magic. Which in itself could have caused an even larger issue, as his already sickly body would have had to adapt to Natsu's unusual, and dangerous magic.

"Yeah... Sorry about that, probably should have let you all back up, but his heartbeat, it was slowing down," Natsu said with gritted teeth as he felt his anger grow, his magic flaring once more, but this time a concentrated shockwave of his green flames shot out, healing the Fairies upon contact, shocking them further.

"I need someone to get Master to Mira," Natsu said as he slowly got to his feet, his armored claws dragging on the cement as he rose from his knees, before reaching his left hand out, and grabbing the lacrima from Happy's hands.

Everyone looked to Jet, before they noticed the determined look on his face as he stared at the ground, feeling conflicted, having the desire to avenge Levy's honor, but Makarov's health was, making him struggle between two different types of love as his hands reached towards the twin daggers Natsu had given him, pulling one out of the sheath as began to fiddle with it in his hands.

"I'll go," Happy said aloud as he looked at Her, making everyone look at him in shock, as Jet was snapped out of his inner conflict, a small but sure smile growing on his face as he met Happy's gaze. Thank you," the speed mage whispered gratefully, as he put the blade back, Happy simply nodded as he flew towards Makarov.

"What happened to master in the first place?" Laki asked confused as she crossed her arms over her chest, as she glared at Natsu, annoyed at his lack of communication, especially since being slammed into tarmac hurt.

"It was Metsu, an air magic spell, that drains the targets magic and spreads it around the air, which is why Natsu put a magic seal on Makarov," Happy said in a monotone as he flew towards Makarov, finally realizing what happened, after remembering about Aria of the element four. He then went silent as he began wrapping his small paws around the older man's shoulder, before wrapping his tail around the man's waist.

"Wait, what does that magic circle do, exactly?" Bisca asked skeptically as they all turned to the fire mage who continued to hold onto the amber glowing lacrimas as he rolled his shoulders.

"It, kind of creates a magic vacuum, for lack of a better explanation. It recognizes his magic in the air and replicates it. Happy, make sure to fly him by the Phantom Guild Hall on your way home," Natsu said as the wings on his back began to flap, shocking some of the fairies before they realized this was almost Erza's black wing armor, or even her heavens wing, making them feel silly at such a reaction.

They stood there in silence, some watching as Natsu flew into the air, high above even the four-story building around them as he continued to shoot upwards, while others like Warren, Shiko and Laki began to think about what Natsu said, trying to understand Natsu's confusing explanation as they stood there.

A few minutes later, they felt the ground shake as a heat wave rushed towards them, the sound of an explosion above them breaking them all out of their thoughts, varying from complex to basic, as they looked up, scared to see a huge wave of blistering flames shooting down towards them, before they saw it stop two meters above the buildings around them.

They watched in fear and confusion as they watched the flames get pulled back towards the sky before they recognized what was happening from earlier when Natsu consumed the fires on the bonfire Mira had them prepared for him.

"You're going to want to keep up, Snipers on the roof, Elfman as a brute, the rest can figure out what to do yourself... Bye!" Happy said with a smile as he clapped his wings, but nobody noticed the white wings actually grow in size as he took off, before disappearing down the street towards Phantom Lord, sounds of him saying Max Speed carries off by the wind as he disappearing from sight. They turned back up, unsurprised to see no sight of the pink haired saint before they began searching the skies.

"Looking for me?" A voice said behind them, making Elfman shriek as he turned around, one of his muscular hammers he called hands barreled towards Natsu's face as he turned around, only to be shocked when Natsu stopped his strike with a single hand alone, taking care not to dig the claws into Elfman palm as he blocked the strike.

Everyone, even Laki began to laugh at Elfman scream of fright as they stared at the Saint and the beast, glad to have a little laugh to dispel some of the anxiety of the fight before them. As their strongest had fallen, how can they fare otherwise?

Elfman his hand back, muttering about how scaring men isn't manly and he backed up behind the Fairies, letting everyone see the smirk on Natsu's face.

"Right, I assume Happy gave you a basic plan? Take down the small fries then find the others... I don't know what they'll do to them," Natsu said with a sigh as he began to walk down the street, the scent of Macao and Wakaba's blood once he got closer was now noticeable, the scent having been hidden by the trash, especially since he wasn't too familiar with them yet. They began to walk down the street following Natsu towards the Phantoms, each of them enraged by the blood at their feet.

"What about the elemental four? Surely you can't take all of them on, and black steel," Warren said skeptically, having more of an analytical mind than the others present, especially due to him being able to ascertain knowledge from everyone present, except Natsu for some reason.

"Oh, I know. That's why I'll need your help, can you main Tain a telepathic link with me as you relay some of their upcoming attacks ?" Natsu asked as he turned his head his left eye caught the telepaths.

"I could, but your mind is blocked to me, somehow. I can't enter or access your mindscape," Warren said as he returned Natsu's look, surprising the gun mages and Laki, as Warren was the best telepath in their guild.

"Oh, sorry, yeah, it should work now," Natsu said as nothing happened that they could see. But what they didn't, was that his still slitted eyes glowed a crimson dark red, and interesting glow due to how black the light was, before his eyes returned to their normal onyx, as he continued to lead the way there.

"Elfman, you're the distraction, use a takeover that increases the strength of your skin, Jet, Alzack, and Bisca will pick them off. Droy and Laki, use your respective magics to restrain, or take out the phantoms" Natsu explained as they neared the Phantom Lord guild hall before they stood within forty meters of the guild, feeling slight pride at how torn and cracked the imposing, fortress-like building really was.

"Alrighty... Alzack and Bisca, these are your posts", Natsu said as he gestured to the two buildings around them, one on each side of the street as close to the guild hall as possible, that seemed to have a twenty-meter "moat", comprised of simply gravel.

"Wait, What am I supposed to do?" Shiko asked making everyone look at her as she pulled the bow off her back, holding it in her right hand as they all stood there.

"When we find the first group, heal them, Erza and Gray first, preferably..." Natsu said as he closed his eyes, trying to get a good idea of how many mages are actually inside the guild hall, while everyone drew their new weapons, inspecting and making sure they were in perfect condition, and finding it to be so as they began to mentally prepare themselves for a fight they may not win, if their stronger mages fell.

"Mind taking us up?" Alzack asked as he examined his building, realizing there was really no good place to climb, especially since they didn't want to break into the building. It was a five-story office building. And surprisingly there were no fire escapes or even ladders, which went to show just how much the people relied on their guild.

Natsu simply nodded as he grabbed Alzack under the shoulders before flapping the wings as he flew Alzack atop the building, before flying back, and doing the same for Bisca's, which seemed to be another office building.

Natsu quickly flew back after dropping the two snipers off, allowing them to place themselves according to their professional opinion, as Natsu has no right to tell a sniper where to stand. He looked at the remaining fairies that were on the ground strike, blinking as he turned to Droy, who was turning a seed around between his fingers, and trying to figure out what it was.

"Droy, I'm going, to be honest with you... I have no idea what those do," Natsu said honestly making everyone turn to him shocked, especially since he had seemed so knowledgeable and smart earlier.

"Right... Lovely," Droy said sarcastically as he put it back into his seed bandolier, making Jet chuckle as he pulled his knives out, twirling them around as he practiced making Droy roll his eyes, knowing that the speedster was just bragging.

"Oh, and Droy... Maybe sprout some trees if you can, to maybe give Levy something to work with," Natsu said off Handly as he stood there, making Shiko sigh as she spoke for a group she was barely even a part of.

"Right... And what makes you think we have a chance to win... When you have to fight five Star Class mages on your own?" Shiko said skeptically, as even Elfman nodded in agreement, this tag of mages barely able to complement the other, unlike their guild.

"This fight... Is not about winning or losing. Because we can't lose. To win, you have to be fighting for something-" Natsu explained, only to be interrupted by and Droy who trust his index finger in Natsu's face.

"They wrecked our guild! And attacked us! Levy had their guild mark painted on her stomach and she still can't get it off! And you're saying we have nothing to fight for?!" The plant mage yelled as everyone looked between the two, mostly agreeing with Droy's statement, even if none of them were there.

Just as Jet was about to say his own part, and stand with his best friend, his mouth was quickly covered by Shiko's hand, making the man look at her, only for her to simply shake her head.

"Forgive me, so what are we fighting for, pride?" Natsu said with a smirk tugging at his lips, making Shiko sigh as she realized what he was doing. He was using anger and determination to get them over their trepidation, a dangerous, but successful move.

"We're fighting for our guild! For our family!" Droy argued as he stared at the pinkette, beginning to believe that the man was truly an idiot at certain times, while Jet and Elfman chorused their agreement.

"Then if your fighting for your family, with them at your side, how can you lose? Because a family stands together, and their bonds are what makes them prevail! That is what makes Fairy Tail special... And that is why we can't lose." Natsu said with a smirk before he began to walk down the sidewalk, leaving everyone else in a stunned silence, finding logic flawed, but inspiring.

"That was manly!" Elfman cried in glee as he pounded his chest before he began to run and catch up with Natsu who was standing right behind Alzack building on the right side of the street, still hiding him from sight. Elfman was quickly followed by a determined Jet and Droy, a smirking Laki, a smiling Warren and an exasperated Shiko, as they all jogged to catch up.

Elfman was quickly, and easily pulled behind Natsu, when the slaying Saint caught the large man's arm, knowing he would have just ran into the building and started beating people up. They waited in silence as everyone caught up.

"How many people can you link, Warren?" Natsu asked as he peaked his head around the corner, his keen eyes silently counting how many people he could see within the building, before ducking back and looking at the telepath.

"I can barely link eight," Warren said with a sigh as he looked at the ground, proud of his number, but he already noticed that there were more than eight people in this group.

"Alright, link all but me, Bisca and Alzack will be your eyes in the sky," Natsu said as he rolled his shoulders, before he looked everyone in the eyes, feeling proud of their steeled determination.

"Alright... Who's ready to win a war?" Natsu said with a smirk on his face as he saw a grin grow on everyone's face as he began to walk out into sight, with everyone following them, noticing that Phantom was already there waiting for them, noticing an odd, but steady rainfall above the guild hall.

 **A few Minutes Ago, Phantom PoV**

Everyones head shot up at the large flare of magic rang through out their city, making people run and grab their weapons, and prepare a defense as a few of the more able ran out the hole where the door used to be, as everyone ran upstairs, not even bothering to defend the Fairies in their basement, as they didn't intend to let them get that far, especially since the only one they had to worry about was the Saint.

"That was him, wasn't it?" A random mage asked as they looked to the S Class mages that were beginning to form a wall as a few more mages began to quickly gather some supplies, and escorting some of the people who were too injured to fight, down into the basement.

"Our Cible is about to get caught in our net," Monsieur Sol said as he began to swirl around like a snake once more, as he stood his ground in front of the lower class mages.

They were even more shocked, when an explosion rang through the city, something everyone could see as they saw the explosion of fire in the sky, making them even more confident, believing that the slayer was simply wasting his magic, assuring his own death.

"It's so sad... The Saint will lose his life today," Aria cried as tears could be seen rolling down his face, making Gajeel roll his eyes as he stood in the middle of the element four, too excited to fight the strongest known dragon slayer, to be annoyed at the four.

"Even a saint would be at a disadvantage to us all, even if they were in the top four, especially since I am the Great Fire," Totomaru said as he stood to Aria's left, his arms down at his side's, with his left hand fiddling with the hilt of his sword.

Juvia simply stood there, not saying a word as rain continued to rain down upon the building, conflicted with Jose's order, as he is asking for the Fire Dragon Prince's head on a silver platter, something Juvia herself found worrying. 'Juvia is unsure that killing is the right thing to do, Juvia just wants to have a home,' She thought with a sigh as the rain picked up a little bit.

Their ace and the element four continued to stand in front of the broken doorway, as the small phantoms continued to pile behind them as they waited for the saint, not even worried about who else he could be bringing with him.

The only advantage Fairy tail had, was that most of their mages were already injured from the earlier fight, including Gajeel and Sol, who's suit still hadn't been replaced, as the gentleman couldn't risk ruining another suit before such a battle.

"He's here," Gajeel announced sharply, as he began to lead the phantoms out towards the cobblestone streets around the Guildhall, with Aria and Totomaru to his left, with Sol and Juvia to his right, and all the others in between, as the S class mages walked out in a V formation, with Gajeel at point.

They stood there, waiting and watching, as Natsu walked out, leasing his own, smaller group of mages into the street opposing the phantoms. He had Jet and Laki to his left, with Droy and Shiko to his right, with Warren and Elfman standing behind him.

Phantom began to laugh at their small force, their confidence growing as a malicious smirk grew on Sol's face as Aria continued to cry even harder, as Gajeel locked eyes with Natsu, finding himself a little shocked with just how confident the Saint was when standing against a stronger force.

But, even Totomaru had to admit that Fairy looked deadly, and dangerous as Shiko held her bow in her hand, with Jet twirling his deadly, shiny new blades Elfman large figure standing in the back, an excited look on his face as he had his arms crossed across his chest, with Warren resting his new sword on his shoulder.

"So, I don't suppose you will tell me where to find my friends?" Natsu asked, practically rhetorically as he crossed his armored arms across his chest, making the golden metal glint in the growing sunlight as the rain clouds seemed to be following something or someone, before it seemed to grow, covering the whole battlefield in rainmaking Natsu quirk his brow as his keen eyes quickly scanned over the S Class mages, before his eyes trained on Juvia, his eyes squinting when he noticed the small frown on her face.

'... Yesterday's Enemies could become tomorrow's friends...' Natsu thought, remembering Makarov teaching him and Laxus when he first joined the guild When Gildarts was on an S Class quest, as the old man wanted to completely get a read on the young pinkettes power, especially since Laxus seemed to like the boy.

"Non, non, non. C'est be possible, Monsieur." Sol said as his magic shot up around him, before Aria disappeared from sight, as Gajeel fell straight into his Iron Dragon Scales with Juvia reverting to her water body, before the phantoms behind them began to run around the S Class Mages, and charging towards the Fairies who ran forward to meet the phantoms.

To their shock, however, they quickly began to notice a few of their mages begin to fall to the ground, as gunshots could be heard making Gajeel's head shoot up as a shock grew on his face, before Natsu disappeared in a ball of fire, Aria's large figure being revealed in his place.

Totomaru quickly tried to capitalize on Natsu's flaming steps, attempting to tear the fire apart, only to grit his teeth in annoyance when the fire completely ignored his commands and flew straight towards them. Gajeel quickly turned his left arm into his Iron dragon Sword as he widened his stance and bent his knees, preparing himself for any assault Natsu could make.

They were quickly surprised when Natsu reverted his body four feet before them as he slammed his left hand on the ground before him.

"Fire Make; Serpents!" Natsu called out as seprents made of fire shot out from under Gajeel's, Totomaru's and Juvia's feet, sending the fire, and Iron Dragon Slayer into the sky as the serpents bit them and flew over the guild to the otherwise, while the serpent simply passed through Juvia's water body, making a smirk grow on Natsu's face, until he noticed the ground quickly clamp his hand and feet to the ground, seeing Sol's head pop out of the ground, a smirk on the green haired man's face.

Natsu smirked as he turned his body into the fire once more and followed the flying Gajeel over the guild hall, watching as he attempted to cut himself out of the serpent's mouth his blade to continuously pass through the flame body of the serpent before his back was slammed into the cobblestone road behind the guild hall.

Aria was left standing over Sol once more, just about to conduct his Metsu, but stopped just in time, otherwise Sol would have lost his magic, making Sol angry, and Aria confused, unsure as to how he was able to sense his teleportation when even Gajeel had trouble tracking the Air mage.

Juvia simply sighed as she turned her water body into a serpent of its own before she too flew over the guild, joining everyone else as Aria teleported once more, while Sol sink back into the ground, none of them even caring as to how their guildmates were faring, while Natsu simply stalled, while keeping Bisca and Alzack safe from Aria.

 **Bisca's PoV**

"Elfman, behind you," Bisca thought calmly as she continued to look through the scope of her new rifle as she targeted the phantoms in front of the guild hall, aiming for their knees, intending to shatter their kneecap and remove them from the fight. Currently she was targeting a dark skinned mage who was attempting to sneak up on Warren, as Shiko stood behind Laki, using her bow to slow down the phantoms charging Droy and Laki.

"Vines!" Droy as he pulled a handful of seeds out of his bandolier, before throwing them, and spreading them around all the phantoms surrounding Elfman, and that were attempting to trip up Her as he flashed around the fight, leaving cuts and gashes with his daggers while avoiding legs, bodies, and magic that continued to swirl around the entire area.

Once hearing Droy's spell, Jet quickly ran out of the mages that were attempting to overpower, and overrun their flawless teamwork, considering they literally just met Shiko a day ago.

"Laki, to your Right, looks like their preparing something big," Alzack thought almost amusedly as he started shooting their shoulders or even hips, as he saw the large magic circle growing in front of a woman in a Purple phantom hat.

"Thanks," Laki thought honestly as she slammed her hands on the ground, as a magic under a large number of Phantoms.

"Wood makes; the distance between the two is forever!" Laki shouted, making some Phantoms stop and look at her as if she was crazy, only to notice the evil grin on the purple haired woman's face as she tweaked her glasses. Within second dozens of large wooden feet made completely out of wood shot out of the ground, not only disrupting the spell but sending a few other mages to the ground, their injuries from earlier forcing them out of the fight as they Laird on the ground defeated.

"Fighting is Manly!" Elfman thought as he blocked two sword slashes from his right with his Beast arm Iron Bull, as he waited for Shiko, Alzack or Bisca to take the men out as he swung his left arm out, his tree trunk sized into a cringing phantom, that was unable to get back fast enough.

One of the mages locked on his right arm was quickly taken out with an arrow, only for another to fall from a bullet a second later. "Getting tired is not manly!" Elfman thought exhaustedly as he blocked a two-handed hammer with his right hand, his body quickly tiring due to being the easiest target, as Warren finally finished his opponent off, sending them to the ground unconscious.

"Elfman is right, we need to finish these phantoms off fast, any ideas?" Warren asked through the telepathic link as he ran to help Elfman, making him regret how his sword skills were lacking, especially when they had a sword master in their guild, and all he had to do was ask.

"I don't know, but I'm running out of magic fast... That's eleven for me, how about you Droy?" Jet said through the telepathic link as he sent another phantom to the ground, his constant slashes becoming too much, especially when he nicked the nerves on the mages knee, sending them to the ground, clutching their leg in pain.

"New seeds I have no idea what they do!" Droy called out as he pumped his magic into a few of the seeds Natsu gave him, making the battlefield stop as everyone looked at him in shock, including Elfman whom simply stared at the black haired man, who blushed before throwing them into the crowd, making everyone suck as they didn't know what it did.

To Droy's shock, once they touched the ground, large, waist-high flowers sprouted from the ground, blooming and showing their blue petals as it sprouted around, before they began to release its pollen and spores, that literally began to light his targets on fire once they came in contact, sending some running and screaming to a near source of water, as other ran fell to the ground, trying to roll the flame out.

Droy quickly fell to his knees, the sprouting of only flowers and their bloom, his whole magic container as he huffed in exhaustion, his palms resting on the ground as everyone turned to Droy in shock, as now all the phantoms had either dispersed, or been defeated, thus allowing them to actually notice, and recognize the intense sounds of battle coming from the other side of the guild hall.

"Holy Shit..." Alzack said in shock as he backed away from his scope, before grabbing the strap of the rifle and slinging it around his back, so shocked he had forgotten to even use the telepathic link.

"That was Manly!" Elfman cried out as his Iron Bull was quickly dispelled, as he stood there, in the middle of a pile , feeling triumphant as smiled began to grow on the Fairies faces while Shiko watched the admittedly beautiful, but deadly flowers slowly retreat back into the ground.

"Alright, you win," Jet said in an amused tone as he began to walk towards Droy while wiping his daggers on his shirt, not even caring that he had practically people blood on it, as he had never of using a blade before, and was grateful he now did. 'I, had never trusted myself to use a sharp edge... Always worrying that I might trip, or slip, and hurt someone, or myself... After that one time... I ran with scissors... But now. This changes everything,' Jet thought with a smirk on his face as he helped his best friend to their feet before walking them towards a wall, joined by an ecstatic Laki, who couldn't keep the .her face, having had seen the terror and pain in their eyes...

"Is everyone okay?" Shiko asked out loud, her voice projecting enough to be heard even by Bisca and Alzack, who were now looking for a way to get down.

""Wood make... Beams that span the distance!" Lanie cried as she stood in front Bisca's building as a magic circle appeared on the ground beside the building, as an elaborate winding ladder shot out of the ground before it grew to the top of the building, and latching onto the top.

"Thanks, Laki!" Bisca said as she stuck her tongue out at Alzack before she began climbing down the ladder, giving Laki a high five as her feet touched the ground.

"Hey, what about me?" Alzack cries out as he had been waiting for Laki to make him a ladder, only to watch in annoyance as they began talking as they approached the others from their assault crew, as Elfman began walking around, knocking out those too injured to move, and pretty much put them out of their misery.

Shiko, Warren, Jet, and Droy began to discuss the next steps, waiting for Alzack to finish walking down the stairs within the building after he slammed the roof door the butt of his rifle.

"Jet... How much magic do you have left..." Warren asked curiously as he rose his hand to his chin, surprisingly becoming the impromptu leader of the assault team since Jet and Droy were too competitive, Shiko wasn't part of the guild, Laki hated most men, and Alzack liked Bisca too much to lead well. Plus, Elfman was a huge idiot.

Warren was quickly shut off when an explosion could be heard on the other side of the building, making everyone's, even Alzack's head shoot to the guild hall, catching the sight of a huge blast of water shooting out into the air, with only Bisca's unblocked eye being able to catch sight of a body sized form being shot into the sky, with red tainted water beginning to rain down on them, something Shiko quickly recognized. Blood...

 **Natsu's PoV Start of fight**

Natsu watched in amusement when he saw Gajeel slam into the cobblestone streets that surrounded their guild hall, his keen ears hearing the sounds of stone cracking due to Gajeel's increased weight, knowing the slayer wouldn't have taken any damage because of his Iron dragon scales.

He reverted his body on top of the building, waiting for Totomaru to come across the other side of the building, and follow Gajeel's lead, until he jumped up in shock, flapping his wings down simultaneously, and shooting his body into the sky, watching as his serpent of fire, with Totomaru crashing into where he stood.

"I am Totomaru of the conflagration... And now that I have figured out how to control your flames... Your odds of winning are dwindling into nothing." Totomaru announced grandiosely as he was revealed posing with his legs spread where arms crossed across his chest, standing right where the flame crashed, with no damage at all having been done to the roof of the building.

Natsu closed his eyes, as he struggled to locate, Juvia, Aria, and Sol, all of which were in their element in this fight, leaving him at a severe disadvantage as he began to fly to the ground, cursing when he realized he had no safe ground, and even though he was full of magic... Power meant nothing against numbers.

Natsu sighed as he flew up, avoiding almost invisible slashes of air that flew by him by just an inch as he shot further into the sky, hoping to smell the water mage somewhere, but struggling because she smelled the rain that continued to fall.

'Lets even things out a little bit,' Natsu thought as he quickly curled his wings around him as he floated mid-air for a second, before he fell backwards, and plummeting towards the ground as he reached his arm out, something only aided by the flames that began shooting out of his armored feet as he extended his arm towards the ground.

"Fire Dragon's Volcanic Meteor Impact!" Natsu called out as his fist slammed the ground, shattering the earth beneath his fist as it sent large ripples throughout the very ground they stood on sending Cobblestone flying everywhere as Gajeel struggled to stay on his feet, having had stabbed his Iron dragon sword into the ground, barely keeping him stable as Sol suddenly shot out of the ground, leaving the earth as he ran to the side.

Within seconds fire and lava began to spew out of the very ground Natsu had shattered with his fist, not him from sight, but covering the very ground they all stood on in a thick layer of lava, making Gajeel grit his teeth as he began to watch his clothes melt away.

The water began to evaporate contact with the fire, the pure heat of it begging to melt the very stone beneath it as Sol stood on the outside of the thirty foot pool of lava as the pressurized spray dies down, revealing no Natsu, and completely hiding Natsu's presence from even Gajeel as the Iron slayers head shot around, realizing that the Saint could have simply turned into fire and melded back into lava.

"Totomaru! Do something Now!" out as a shocked Totomaru stared down at the lava, feeling worried because his power was over fire, and no matter how familiar the two seemed, it was something he had very little, to no control over.

"Airstrike!" Aria called out as he appeared ten feet in the air above the lava, as a large magical circle under his feet, from which a large blast of air shot towards the ground, almost like a canon as he attempted to disperse the lava.

The large swirling wind impacted the ground, the force of the ball exploding sending some lava and sparks to the side, leaving Gajeel burnt and smoldered but otherwise angry as his shoulders heaved. And Natsu took advantage of Aria's attempt to disperse the lava, flying up at the exact moment the ball of air impacted the ground, hiding his sneak attack upon the wind mage as he appeared behind the man before he had an attempt to escape, as he reverted back to normal.

"Fire Dragon's grip strike!* Natsu called out as only his quick reflexes and strength caught Aria before he away, his gauntleted hand wrapping around the large man's neck as a magic around Natsu's forearm, before an explosion of fire and heat went off in his lam, making Aria scream in pain before he shot towards the ground, his large body leaving an imprint on the ground as the fire slayer continued to hover in the air.

Two large, three feet wide columns of water shot out of the rain clouds as they spiraled around eachother as they shot towards Natsu's back, their speed only increased by the amount of Magic Juvia put into the attack as it spiralled towards the Saint, and keen senses were able to alert him to the attack before it was too late as a large magic circle quickly formed in front of his mouth as he turned his head.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu shouted as a huge pillar of blinding white fire shot out of the magic circle, making even Totomaru's eyes shoot open in shock as the five foot wide pillar of fire into contact with the water, instantly evaporating the water causing a large cloud of steam, but it wasn't enough to hide the Saint.

'Juvia's water has always put out every fire... But this man, This mage can meet my water head-on with ease! We're perfect, fire and water, on opposite sides of a war. It's a forbidden love!" Juvia fantasized as she watched the man, fighting back her water as the pillar of fire continued to climb into the sky, citizens everywhere, and making Bisca and Alzack wince in pain at the light, amplified by their scopes.

"Iron Dragons Sword! Iron Dragon's Foot Blade! Iron Dragon's Hard Fist!" out in succession as he closed his eyes, his strong legs propelling him into the air, his speed enhanced only by the strength his Iron dragon scales granted him as he shot toward where he last saw Natsu, as the pillar of water was still in combat with the roar as he reared his left arm back, before swinging it towards Natsu,.his eyes shooting open with the satisfying crack of contact, before his foot turned into a long, deadly sword as he pulled his leg up, stabbing Natsu his roar was redirected, shooting into the sky before Gajeel's right hand was encased by a gauntlet of iron, before he slammed Natsu towards the ground, where a burnt, and injured Aria was struggling to get to his feet, the explosion at the back of his with his nerves, and almost sending him to unconciousness.

Totomaru smirked as his hand went to his sword, before he jumped off the guild hall towards the falling Natsu, showing a surprising amount of speed as he reached the man before they impacted the ground, drawing his sword as he slammed the sharp edge towards the saint's neck, completely intending to behead the man right there and then, only in shock as a collar of orange-red fire formed around the man's neck, protecting himself from the blade.

"Repete Accént!" Sol shouted as dozens of deadly three feet long spikes emerged from the ground in a six-foot area, completely covering Natsu's site as he was now seconds away from falling to his death.

Natsu simply turned to Totomaru and turned his body into fire, leaving his right hand that turned Totomaru into fire as well, shocking everyone present as the orange fire dragged a black and white ball out of the spikes and over to safe ground before reverting back, revealing a slightly winded Natsu with his arm around the fire mages neck as he slammed the man into the ground, causing a dust cloud to shoot up.

Gajeel and Sol stood opposite of the dust cloud as a swirl of water began to come from the sky, thicker than rain as it moved with intention and purpose before appearing on the opposite side of a downed Aria, who gave up on trying to stand up, realizing that he could no longer feel the tips of his fingers.

The swirl of water touched the ground, instantly forming Juvia as more and more water continued to pile up, referring from her foot to her head and then to the other foot almost like a wave as it revealed the water mage.

Sol and Juvia shifted the side, cornering the Saint as he was revealed standing over an unconscious Totomaru, as his shoulder shook as he quickly tried to catch his breath as he turned his head around, noticing the predicament he was in.

"Juvia is very impressed, Juvia has never seen someone so cunningly and flawlessly fight back such a force," Juvia said as she gestured to the surrounding mages as Natsu took a step back from the unconscious Totomaru, keeping his eyes on Juvia as he saw something in his eyes that reminded him of Laxus, and Gildarts when he first met them.

"But, Juvia knows that does not matter. Juvia will fight for her guild because Master Jose gave Juvia a home," Juvia said with a sigh, as the rainwater in the air began to condense without his notice, as he continued to stare the bluenette in the eyes making a blush form on her face as the newly formed spikes of water began in size.

'She's... Lonely. Why I... Her rain!' Natsu thought in shock as he finally realized why the constant torrent of rain didn't stop, as usual, it would be a very hard spell basic water mage if it were not feeding off their emotions, rather than their magic container.

'Saint Dragneel is staring at Juvia's face, did Juvia's make up smudge, does he see the same thing Juvia saw? Is this Love at first sight?" Juvia thought in shock as the spikes began to plummet towards the saint, Juvia's wishes only coming second to Jose's.

Of course, Natsu's slow thinking cost him a hit, as Sand and dust quickly began to swirl around his body, before his entire body was being scratched and torn by the sand, making him growl in pain as it scratched his cheek and neck.

"Sable Dance!" Sol cried as the sand began to swirl around Natsu faster, affecting his sight,.scent and hearing as all he could hear or see was the sand torrent info around his body, completely unaware of the spikes of water a mere second away from impaling him. He quickly grew tired of the sand scratching and slicing his face as he let out a small, controlled burst of hellfire flames, completely obliterating not only the sand that continued to swirl around his body but the long and dangerous spikes of water a mere milliseconds away from impaling his body, leaving actual holes in the black scaled leather on his armor, shocking every phantom present as their magic was not vaporized, melted, or even burnt, but completely erased from existence, shocking them as they could no longer feel the magic at all.

But even that did not matter, as while Natsu was still in the sandstorm, Gajeel had widened his stance, a large magic circle continuing to grow in front of his face as he prepared to unleash the larger Iron Dragon's Roar he has ever unleashed, as Natsu was left there standing defenseless, even if Gajeel was shocked as to how Natsu was able to so easily remove their attacks.

"Iron Dragons Roar!" Gajeel roared the minuted Natsu released the burst of magic, as he lowered his jaw as a beam of pure magic shot straight out of his mouth into the magic circle that was now over six feet in diameter, sending a colossal beam of pure iron shrapnel torrenting towards an unsuspecting Natsu's back, who only had years of experience to thank for noticing the attack before it was too late.

"Hellfire Dragon's Pillar!" Natsu shouted as he stomped his foot on the ground, as a small, condensed pillar of dark red fire shot out of the ground just barely in time as the huge spiraling blast of pure iron shrapnel slammed into it, the sheer force of it sending Natsu back flying back into the ground, forcing Natsu to lose his concentration and dispelling the Pillar of fire. He was internally cursing himself for losing focus so fast, especially since now he couldn't even use his flaming steps to avoid the roar as he simply closed his eyes and prepared for the pain.

"Roche Concerto!" Sol yelled as a small patch of cobblestone ground flew into the air, before plummeting towards Natsu's Flying body, and meeting him halfway and slamming into his back, before some of the rocks slowly began moving around Natsu's back, with some of the larger rocks staying behind his shoulders and hips as Sol's arm began to shake, due to the pure force he was exerting in an attempt to match Gajeel's roar, even when Natsu was pushed back a few feet as Gajeel's roar began to die down.

"Geyser!" Juvia said with a lackluster, saddened dull tone as a magic circle appeared under where Natsu was held in the air, as the torrent of iron continued to dig into his body as he was held up by the rocks that had impacted his back, and snuck into the creases in his armor, under his shoulder plates and held him there, with Sol's arm held out, as he used his geokinesis to keep Natsu in the air so that he suffered the full extent of Gajeels roar, who was now completely and magically drained after having gone full on his roar for over half a minute now, his face now pale due to pure magic exhaustion, as his knees began to buckle.

A spout of water was formed from right under Natsu's body and shooting him into the air, the water quickly turning red as it mixed with the blood, as everyone stood there exhausted, having had all used their magic to fit the situation to the best of their abilities. While they watched the pink-haired saint fly high into the sky, propelled by the huge torrent of water that exploded from the ground with bloody water still raining down on them as Sol fell over, only barely catching his body with his arms before he fell down, trying to not only replicate the force of a dragon's roar but to keep Natsu's in the air at the same time, all the while using his magic in a way he has never had to before, completely draining his magic as an upset Juvia was left being the last one stnading as they all simply waited for Natsu to fall to the ground.

'Juvia... Has never been so conflicted. He had stared at Juvia. Not with hate, not with disdain... but with curiosity and kindness, something that Juvia has rarely ever had... And he's obviously been defeated... So why does Juvia feel so... sad?" Juvia thought, feeling almost completely heartbroken that they had not even heart a single scream in pain from the man, honestly worried that they had killed him, as she cut her magic to the geyser off, unaware of the small tears that continued to roll down her face as they waited for his body to come back down, the battlefield that was full of tension and anger, was now completely dead and silent.

* * *

And onto the Reviews!

Lordlexx- I write in the descriptions now, so that I don't have to do them later. When I spend time on something it is very likely to come back up sometime later on in the story. Sorry if it was too much, I know you mean the armor, but I was actually describing a set of armor I saw on the internet and wanted to do it justice. Sorry if that was annoying. And honestly, with Phantom attacking, they don't really have time to talk this out right now, and they both know that too.

naul- I am glad you think this fic is great. That is what I'm going for, and I can only hope you can continue to enjoy it, that is if you chose to continue reading.

Natsuharemfan- But, does Natsu have enough awareness, or forethought to plan something out like that? Or is he more likely to jump at the chance for peace, due to him lacking companionship and acceptance growing up? Plus, I have a few ideas that would completely, and utterly changed the entire Edolas arc, and am unsure whether or not I should do it, so, no comment on that as of yet, unfortunately.

Guest- Do you think this was smooth? I hope so... I don't know if any of you will agree with how the fight has gone on, and I don't mean the fairy fighters vs the phantom people, thingy, whatever. Mira will get better, she just needs to realize a few things, as in the past few days a lot of things have changed, and she feels less secure about her relationship than before.


	36. Creating a Pattern

And Onto the Story!

A certain familiar blonde could be seen tied up as he body swayed a bit to the movement of the room she was in. Her new favorite leather armor, the same one given to her by Natsu on Galina Island, was now nowhere in sight, as she was adorned in a pink, fancy and _expensive_ frilly dress, that emphasized her lithe and voluptuous body.

Her pale and perfect shoulders were bare, with a pink ribbon, stitches so that it was not flat, went around the top of her dress, with dark maroon bows on each shoulder. The same pink ribbon continued down the front of the dress right down the middle of her chest which was not nearly as large, or as noticeable as usual, indicating the use of a corset.

The rest of her chest was covered completely with a magenta colored material that emphasized her slim, and attractive figure, without any cleavage showing at all. She has a two-inch wide ribbon going around her waist, frilled out over her long, ankle length skirt.

The same magenta coloured material continued on down the whole length of the skirt, but this time flaring out like two large flower petals, with one center on the outside of her thighs, that continued down to the bottom of her knee, where a new cloth, still pink though, continued down to her ankle, the colour being almost identical to that of Natsu's hair, not that Lucy could notice anyway as she was still unconscious.

The magenta petals on her skirt were outlined in a thick, black stain cloth, with more pink frilled ribbon outlining the back, making her look like the emblem of femininity, even as she was tied to a luxurious red lounge chair, that made the white, thick bow on her dress stand out, except for the fact everything about the room she was in screamed luxury and money.

On her neck was a pink frilly choker collar, that had a thin black ribbon in the middle, with a gold clasp at the back, holding it in place.

Her hands and ankles were tied to the chair she was in, so large it almost looked like a throne as the room she was in continued to gently shake, but not that it could wake her from the sleeping magic she was currently under, with a Gray magic circle present on the front of her right shoulder, literally keeping her asleep until the caster decided she should wake.

Suddenly a door on the other side of the room began to open, the handle turning as a lone man entered, and walked towards the woman, not even bothering to be silent as he closed the door, as his expensive boots clacked on the expensive, hardwood floor.

He stopped beside the woman, before raising his hand towards her face, before lowering his hand and walking towards the window, his hand having had not even reached her face as he stared out the window, his keen, trained eyes already catching sight of the train station not even half a mile away, a distance that meant nothing to a train as it had already begun to slow as it pulled into the station, a large sign becoming more and more legible the closer they got, reading 'Heartfilia Railways'...

 **Second Assault Group PoV**

Everyone, even Laki watched in a mixture of shock and fear as everyone stared at the geyser of water that began to die down, the body that had been shot into the air was nowhere to be seen as the bloody water began to stop raining down on them, the assumptions coming to mind striking fear in their heart as they began to run forward and into the guild, with the large and bulky Elfman leading the charge, prepared to tear open any wall in order to find the other fairies, knowing that if Natsu was to lose... None of them stood a chance.

"There's no way he lost, right? He's the sixth-ranked saint, stronger than even Jose himself!" Jet said aloud as he jogged with the rest of the fairies who upon entering the guild, began to look around frantically, hoping beyond belief that Erza, Gray, and Cana had enough magic left to finish the Five S Class mages off, forgetting to even wait for Alzack who had pulled out his rifle, using the butt of the gun to smash a window as he searched the skies for any sight of their saint.

"Yeah... But those were Phantoms Five Strongest mages, one of which is a dragon slayer himself..." Droy said distantly as Elfman began running around the room, breaking anything in his path as he literally began to smash the wall, after a walk down, hoping to find any signs of their friends.

"Laki! Can you use your wood magic and maybe map the building? So we don't run around blindly?" Warren asked as he removed Elfman from the telepathic link, before attempting out towards Natsu, while Bisca and Shiko began searching the rooms Elfman opened up in his manly rage.

'Alzack, where are you?" Bisca asked worriedly across the mind link, as she risked a look back outside the hole Phantom called a door as Elfman smashed down the last door.

"I found a basement! Smashing things is manly!" Elfman yelled aloud as Jet and Droy groaned in annoyance as the white-haired man began to flex.

"Jet, Droy. the basement out, Elfman, watch the entrance," Warren ordered as he stood in the middle of the guild with his eyes closed as he attained to find any sign of Natsu mental presence, as the men began to follow his orders without question.

'I have no sign of who, or what took a flight to sky city,' Alzack mentioned in the link with a sigh as he leaned back from his rifle, too worried to even feel elated at Bisca's worry while Everyone only felt more, and more worry build in their chest.

'No sign of them in here,' Shiko said worriedly through the link, her time with Natsu making her view the man as a friend, almost a brother even due to him opening up about his past, and accepting her into his home without as much as an annoyed sigh.

'that's alright, keep-' Warren began as Laki placed her hands on the floor and pushing her magic through the whole frame of the building, as he began to map out every stud and joist, finding a few irregularities, until their minds were assaulted with cries of relief.

'I found hem!' Jet cried through the link breaking everyone out from their search as even Warren began running towards the basement, with Elfman loud thundering steps ringing out from behind him, the already sketchy structural integrity of the building becoming worse from all the battle and...Elfman.

'On our way! Alzack, over the guild, let us know of any company, but try and stay hidden!' Warren ordered as he drew his sword and followed Shiko and Bisca down the stairs, his eyes taking a few minutes to adjust to the darkness before he began to feel anger building up in the group link, everyone's own feelings being projected onto everyone else and only making it ten times worse.

"Everyone calm down! They need our help NOW! We can be angry later when we beat the rest of them down," Warren said with gritted teeth once his feet touched the basement floor, his eyes beginning to realize they did not extend the posh interior this low.

There were beer and other alcohols in one corner, with all their friends tied up in a literal cage in the other, making them aware and Droy, who was shaking and hitting the cage in an attempt to get in, as everyone was literally tossed upon the other so that they all fit, their mouths gagged, feet tied and hands cuffed behind their backs. A treatment none of as groaning could be heard from inside the cage, faint, but full of pain.

Elfman quickly began to run towards the cage, his large form and long legs making everyone jump to the side but Shiko as Elfman barreled forward, before dropped to the ground, sweeping his legs out from under him as he flew forward, and over the cage into the wall on the other side, groaning upon impact with the concrete wall as cracks seen around where he hit the wall.

"Thank you Shiko," Warren said as he walked forward, the sound of the crash waking some of the tied mages to their current situation, as they quickly saw they're armed, and confident friend standing around them, even shocking Gray and Erza at how they were working together.

"Tripping a man is not manly..." Elfman groaned as he slowly pulled himself off the wall before turning around and seeing Warren beside him.

"Hey big guy, trying to help is all fine and good, but we don't know how that cage works, or how strong the structural integrity is," Warren said as he extended his hand towards the large man making the white-haired man sigh and nod his head before shaking the telepath's hand.

"Laki, come forward, see if you can make a key for the lock, Shiko, prepare Erza, Cana, and Gray, we need fighters because Natsu is..." Warren sighed as Laki began to look at the lock while Elfman Jet and Droy searched the dark and cold basement for any blankets or to look or even hay, to make pallets for the injured to lie on.

'No sign of any movement yet,' Alzack reported as he continued to scan the skies making Warren respond with affirmation.

"They lock is melted, I can't pick it," Laki said as Warren sighed and rubbed his head before turning to Elfman. Warren co tinged to stare at the thick metal bars cage before taking and tapping his knuckles on the bar, feeling the solid iron that was at least an inch thick, trying to find a way to break them out safely, while the mages inside stayed silent, too tired or sore, to even attempt and moan through the gags.

"Hey Bisca, Elf, can you come here for a second?" Warren asked as he took a making everyone in the cage look at him, shocked to see all of the people who were in this group, but was even more surprising, was that he fit the role almost perfectly.

"Bisca, can you shoot through the bars around the top so we can pull it off?" Warren asked as he rubbed his chin, making a smile grow on Erza's face at seeing people who would rarely talk together, work as a strong team.

Bisca simply nodded her head as she pulled out her new rifle before taking a shot, upset to see her friends in such a state, but especially Erza, who was torn from her armor leaving her in a blouse and skirt, as Bisca remembered the woman who finally gave her a family, noticing the very present worry upon her face as she had grown used to being squished by Cana and pressed against Sherry.

Bisca quickly, and a shot in the middle bar, the shot so powerful it literally tore a hole in the bar behind it and into the concrete wall that held the building up, making Macao and Gray's eyes shoot open in shock at the sheer power.

Elfman then quickly, and carefully placed his large hands at the be ken bars and began to pull, what would have been impossible only made easy by the holes in the middle of the bars, that sent cracks through the entire bar as he began to grit his teeth, before the entire side broke off, with a loud, noise making everyone cringe as Elfman powered through, the rest of the bars almost becoming easier as his large muscles flexxed, before the entire metal top was torn off and thrown aside, as Elfman fell to his knees, holding his shoulders in pain, having had at least torn a muscle.

Shikos sighed as she watched him shake his head and stand up again, before one by one, lifting a mage out and setting them on the ground with a single arm, leaving Gray, Yukino, Erza, Cana, Sherry, Loke, Wakaba, Macao and Max on the ground as Jet and Droy quickly began to cut their binds, Jet having had given his best friend a blade.

One by one, fairies were un-gagged and their feet untied, before Jet and Droy looked at the magic cancelling cuffs, unsure how to remove them, especially since all the locks were conveniently melted with someone's finger, leaving them stumped as Gray, Erza and Cana began move allowing the others like Wakaba, Sherry and Yukino who were still unconscious to be laid on the ground With Shiko tending to Erza as they spoke.

"Where's Master! He lost his Magic!" Erza yelled the second her gag was removed from her mouth, glad to see that the secondary force was neither shocked nor worried, as they looked the Titania in the eyes as Shiko stood up before walking towards Wakaba, and tending to his lungs. What they didn't notice, was that nervous, and worried, but to maintain her hard ass attitude as she sat there, feeling defenseless without her armor as she could feel a cool breeze on her chest, a testament to how much she wore armor.

"Don't worry, Natsu put a seal on him that is giving his magic back, with Happy bringing him back to the guild as we speak, what-if" Warren began to explain, only to be cut off by Gray, who was not only worried but very annoyed that none of the secondary group realized that Lucy was no longer present.

"Guys! Where's Lucy! Aria grabbed her in the middle of the fight!" Gray said as he looked at Loke, who was sitting there dead and exhausted, only to be shocked when he saw his best friends hand begin to flicker, before shaking his head and believing it to be a flicker of light.

"Big, green suit and blindfold, right?" Bisca listed off as she began to take her rifle apart, Requipping a cloth and beginning to clean it, something that made Erza smirk, remembering when she taught the green haired woman how to do that, since Bisca had to decide what to bring when she first joined, but now, she has it all with her.

"He's here, but there's no sign of Lucy, perhaps this is a hostage situation?" Warren pondered as he stood in front of the conscious mages as Elfman sat on the floor, holding his shoulders with a smile on his face that most, of his friends, were alright and safe.

"At first, I would agree with you, but Jose knows he's at a disadvantage, and there must be a better reason to strike, especially since his guild will be disbanded," Erza explained as they all began to think before they felt the entire ground, and ceiling above them begin to shake, worrying, and confusing the fairies who were still tied up.

"Aria specifically targeted Lucy, something is going on, and I do _not_ like it," Gray said with a sigh as Jet cut him free, letting him stretch his legs and rub his wrists.

"What was that?!" Cana yelled as both Gray and Erza got to their feet, before the ground shook once more, knocking their sore, and unfeeling bodies to the ground, their nerves having had been pinched in the cage.

'Alzack, what's going on up there? All but Lucy are down here," Warren reported to their eye in the sky as Alzack looked through his scope in shock, having had an entirely different building, so that he could keep a better eye on the S Class mages.

"Natsu... Is not happy," Alzack said shocked, his telepathic communication actually sounding shaky making Warren sigh as he opened his eyes.

"Natsu appears to be on a rampage..." Warren reported to Erza, not even attempting to add Erza to the link due to her cuffs as Gray and Cana smirked, with Jet, Droy and Elfman cheering in happiness, glad that the Saint had not descended into the depths of hell, as comfortable as he would have been there.

Erza simply rolled her eyes, before a certain glint of metal caught her eyes before they widened in shock.

"Bisca, please shoot my cuffs off?" Erza asked with a steely tone in her voice as she raised her arms up behind her back, making the gun mage simply nod her head as she walked forward, before shooting the band's on each cuff, as Gray and Cana stood up on shaky legs and walked forward, before holding their arms out for the same thing, as Erza walked to the other side of the room.

"Please don't tell me Natsu is fighting who I think he is?" Erza asked despondently with a sigh as she walked towards a shabby old table on the side of the room, glad to see her armor in front of her, before a certain, distinct scent caught her nose, making her take a step back in disgust.

"If by that, are you asking if he's currently fighting five S Class mages? Then yes," Shiko said with a to Erza, a smirk on her face as she caught the scarlet woman's eyes, before standing up, and walking towards the others, who were rubbing their sore wrists as Bisca continued to shoot off everyone's cuffs, not missing a single shot.

"Yeah, figured as much," Gray said with a roll of his eyes, his necklace jingling in his neck as he walked towards Erza, before a look of disgust enveloped his face, recognizing what she did, as she looked towards him, a look of desperation and anger oh her face, her arms becoming enveloped in a white flash, before her purgatory club was revealed in her hands as she swung it onto the table and sending a cloud of dust into the air due to the table shattering into pieces. She then turned around and angrily walked towards the stairs, leaving a disgusted Gray behind.

"What's got her panties in a twist?" Cana asked as she walked towards the beer kegs and popping the top off of one, before pulling a mug out of nowhere and serving herself a glass.

"They, uh... Did something on her armor," Gray said as he rubbed his forehead before going towards Loke, confusing the entire second Assault group on why they weren't going to help Natsu. While the girls and Warren cringed, knowing exactly what he meant by that, which completely justified her actions, before the quickly heard a scream of pain, not of Erza's, but someone else's.

"She's not going to kill them, right?" Warren asked worriedly as he rubbed his chin, hoping that Alzack would warn him of anything happening outside.

"Erza? Pfft... Nah?" Gray said, leaving nobody reassured, as they completely missed Laky creeping up the stairs, intending on joining Erza in her favorite pastime, torturing perverted men

When they felt the ground shake once more, Warren turned to Gray, a silent plea in his eye as Jet, Droy, and Elfman walked forward, standing behind their impromptu leader, waiting upon his command.

"Shouldn't we, I don't know, help Natsu? What if Jose comes by?!" Warren yells as Cana snorts into her beer, before sticking her mug back into the barrel for another glass while Gray snickered as he looked over to the orange haired man, who still had not said a word, making Gray worry about the playboy.

"Warren, come here and get a drink, you're obviously a little stressed," Cana said with a patronizing tone as the lush appeared to pull the second mug out of her bosom, making the telepath roll his eyes before turning to Gray, believing that Cana was simply drunk.

"Look, Warren, Cana's right, if anything the flame brain's holding back. Plus Jose is too arrogant to come here and fight Natsu, especially when his chances of winning are less than fifty-fifty," Gray said as he stood up before walking up the stairs, as Warren threw his hands in the air annoyed, before following the man up, with his new lackeys in tow.

"You guys really have no idea what he's capable of..." Gray muttered under his breath as he continued to tend to his best friend, honestly curious as to why Loke reacted so negatively to someone's kidnap, a person, he has been trying to avoid all this time, making him remember everything he learned on Galuna Island, because as much of an emotional roller coaster the whole ordeal was, he learned a lot, both from Erza, and Natsu himself.

 **Juvia's PoV**

Juvia watched as Gajeel knelt on the ground, before sighing and walking forward, helping her only friend into a sitting position as she wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and ignoring the annoyed growl the slayer emitted from his mouth as they say there, searching the skies before Juvia sighed, standing up and heading towards the guild, looking for some metal for the slayer as they waited for the Saint's remains to rain down like a meteor, so that they had proof of Natsu's demise to show Jose.

Sol, on the other hand, had pulled his handkerchief out of his officially irreparable suit jacket before attempting to clean his monocle as he sat there, humming a creepy song to himself, as the slayer continued to watch the sky.

Juvia was quickly seen walking back, having had cut one of the lampposts outside their guild hall with a small water slicer making it fall to the ground with a large crash, before she began dragging the wrought iron pole towards the slayer, who winced at the sound of on rock, but said nothing due to his focus on the sky.

"Juvia has brought Gajeel-san some metal," the bluenette announced as she easily dropped the pole beside the man before sitting a foot beside the pole, leaving space between them as she looked to the sky, sitting beside her only friend in years, allowing him to take his eyes off the sky as he broke part of the metal off before taking a large bite.

They sat in silence as they watched the sky, as Sol continued to clean his broken monocle, as if it had never broke, cementing the earth mages insanity, but that was the last thing on the twos mind as they enjoyed each other's company.

"Juvia... Feels conflicted," the bluenette said as she turned to her best, and only friend as he continued to munch on his Iron, his magic quickly replenishing due to the purity of the metal with his eyes turning to the bluenette for a few seconds before turning back to the sky, as they ignored Sol's delusional mutterings.

Gajeel opened his mouth, a biting retort on the tip of his tongue before his memory flashed back, remembering the terrified expression on the small girls face as she waited for him to beat them, before his mind flashing to the when Fairy Tail began to retreat, the pure fear on their face as they stared at Erza, not for themselves, but for her, and for Makarov, making him sigh as he clenched his eyes shut, completely unaware of a new presence.

"You know, it's completely normal to feel guilty when doing something wrong," a cheeky voice said besides the rain woman, making her fist fly towards his face making Gajeel crack his left eye open before they both shot open in shock.

Natsu was simply lounging a foot away from Juvia, his left arm behind his back and supporting his back as his right arm was held up to the side, Juvia's fist firmly planted in his palm as to his feet. Gajeel quickly jumped to his feet, feeling re having eaten a third of the lampposts, but found himself shocked by how little damage he had done to Natsu.

Juvia quickly attempted to change back into her water body, but was shocked to find herself unable when Natsu's right hand was engulfed in a dark red, and green colored flame, and thus removing any shot Gajeel would have.

Sol, on the other hand, stealthily placed his right hand onto the floor, channeling what was left of his magic through the ground as a small sinkhole appeared under Natsu's feet, forcing him to release Juvia's hand as he fell into the two-meter pit, landing on His feet due to the hole's in his wings and armor, rendering it broken due to Gajeel's barrage of scrap metal and saliva.

Juvia was too shocked to realize she was pushed to the side as Gajeel stood in front of the rain woman, protecting her since he saw Natsu use magic on her hand as he barred his fangs down at the Saint. 'He... He dispelled Juvia's water body... Can he dispel Juvia's rain? What type of magic is this? Is this... Love?" The rain maiden thought shocked as she lay on her side, staring at the Saint in shock, a blush covering her face when she saw his defined, rock hard muscle tone.

"Woah, Woah! Calm down Black steel, I just wanna talk!" Natsu shouted as he jumped out of the hole, backflipping and landing on the other side of the hole, opposite to Gajeel as he stared at the Saint in shock, confused at the amount of damage, rather the lack of damage his roar had on the Saint.

"You... How did you survive my roar?! Even Jose can't defend or block something like that?!" Gajeel raged as he stood lowered into a fighting stance, enraged by how obvious it was now, that he had not been taking them seriously.

"Oh come on, Black Steel, Jose isn't a slayer like us, how could he ever dream of touching a dragon?" Natsu said as he held his arms out, showing the amount of damage Gajeel has truly done.

Natsu's Dragon Armor was totally ruined, with leather and scales hanging off of his body, his entire chest plate reduced to nothing but scrap leather and garbage as his muscles were shown, with blood still running down his chest, multiple gashes and lacerations across his entire torso and arms, sealed only by fire, as he was left practically shirtless.

Silence enveloped the area, as Gajeel mulled over what Natsu said, while Juvia just stared at Natsu, her eyes becoming hearts as she daydreamed of all the ways Natsu could make Juvia his, dispelling her rain and showing her what happiness and love truly felt like. A smirk quickly began growing on Gajeel's face when he came to a conclusion, turning back to look at Juvia for a mere moment before his mind was made up.

"There's only enough room for one dragon in the sky..." Gajeel said with a smirk that made a smile grow on Natsu's own face as a new challenge was set in front of them. A competition, to declare who is truly the strongest slayer. 'Fuck Jose, Fuck his rules and Fuck his demands... It seems that all it took was for Salamander to remind me of what I am, and to find my backbone, and a dragon _never_ gets pushed around.' Gajeel thought as he walked away from Juvia, wanting her to be safe from the upcoming fight.

"You know, you aren't the first dragon slayer I've fought... Or dragon for that matter," Natsu mentioned off-handedly as he sent a wink towards Juvia before slamming his foot on the ground, creating a small crack in the ground right under Sol's body, sending him deep into the earth as Natsu and Gajeel began circling eachother, far away from all the injured and unconscious S-Class mages.

"Yeah, I heard, you failed to do the one thing your magic was made to do..." Gajeel taunted as he cracked his buckles before lunging at Natsu, who only smirked before meeting his courage, the two slayers becoming mere blurs as they traded blows, creating shockwaves and shaking the ground as the dragons clashed.

"Dude, I was like ten, fighting the false king of dragons... Like you could do better," Natsu argued as he threw a jab towards Gajeel's sternum which was easily blocked by Gajeel's hand, before dropping to the ground and throwing a leg sweep, something Gajeel simply stepped back to avoid before throwing a roundhouse kick at Natsu's face.

"You weren't trying at all earlier, were you," Gajeel asked with a sigh as he watched Natsu easily bend his back towards the ground, letting Gajeel's leg fly right over him before Natsu placed his hands on the ground, throwing himself into a backflip with his left clawed foot flying towards Gajeel's pelvis, making the Iron Dragon Slayer panic as he rolled to the side.

They both landed on their feet at approximately the same time, as Gajeel looked at Natsu, before his body began to be covered by dense, strong iron Dragon Scales, making Natsu simply smirk as he lowered his stance and held his right hand forward, gesturing Gajeel to attack without calling upon any of his own magic.

Gajeel only squinted his eyes as he lunged forward, moving at least two times faster than he had earlier, all his physical traits being enhanced by his scales as he struggled to control his anger, the fact he had taken Aria out in a single attack was a testament to the man's strength as he threw his right hand forward, their fists impacting and sending a large shockwave through the area, throwing Totomaru and Aria further away from the fight as they struggled for dominance.

Juvia watched with a smile on her face at what should have been a fight to the death, wasn't. She saw the expression on their faces, and the emotions in their eyes as they traded blows, noticing little to no hostility at all. 'they're... Friends? Juvia does not understand this Natsu Dragneel. A man with the power of a dragon at his fingertips... To be able to match Gajeel's irons scales so easily, He's perfect...' Juvia fantasized as her heart-shaped eyes continued to watch the growing friendship before her.

"You've gotten better over the years... I remember a time when you struggled to use those scales..." Natsu said offhandedly with a smirk making Gajeel's eyes widen before a low growl emitted from his mouth, his anger only strengthening his resolve to win as he realized that he had been watched, confirming a few of his suspicions, which meant Natsu knew a lot more about his attacks than Gajeel could ever hope to know of his.

Gajeel began to throw a confusing barrage of Jabs, Crosses and kicks, the force behind his attacks creating small gusts of winds as all his attack were simply redirected away from Natsu's body with a single palm or knee, infuriating Gajeel further as Natsu only smiled in his face as he continued to dodge and redirect Gajeel's every, single, attack.

"Come on! Stop holding back!" Gajeel yelled as he took a step forward and threw a punch towards Natsu's face, only to watch as the man title his head to the side, making Gajeel smirk as he threw his knee forward into Natsu's gut.

Instead of seeing pain cover Natsu's entire face, he just watched as his knee penetrated the Fire Dragon's abdomen, making Gajeel grit his teeth as his knee was assaulted by a heat he had never experienced before, realizing that Natsu was using his own form of Fire Body as he quickly pulled his knee out, shocked to see that the metal on his knee was charred and warped.

"You want me to go all out?" Natsu said as he looked at the ground, his hair beginning to cover his face, and creating a shadow over his eyes as Gajeel stared at the Fire Dragon Slayer in a mixture of worry and shock.

"Do you even have control over Dragon Force?" Natsu asked as he looked back up at the iron dragon slayer, revealing his evil red glowing eyes, with a black slit running right through the middle making Gajeel's eyes shoot open in shock, feeling a type of fear not even Jose could spark within his soul.

"I'll even be benevolent... You have two minutes to summon your dragon force, or you'll end up worse than Aria over there," Natsu said as he flashed towards the fortress-like guild hall, tearing the opposite iron street lamp out of the ground before throwing it like a spear towards Gajeel, who only barely caught it, as his body was pushed back three feet, his heels digging trenches into the ground as he had one hand on each side of the pole, that was clasped a mere inch in front of his nose.

Gajeel felt worry build up in his chest, of the likes he has never experienced as he began scarfing down the iron pole, praying to any God that could hear his pleas to allow him to summon Dragon force, something he never even knew was possible to summon on command. As he finally began to realize that Natsu was on an entirely different level, and realize just how _fucked_ he truly was.

 **Natsu's PoV**

"Hiya! My name's Natsu, Natsu Dragneel, what's yours?" The pink haired saint asked suddenly, as he appeared right beside Juvia, making her jump in shock, her mouth shooting open to scream, only to be covered by Natsu's hand as he dampened her shout.

"Hey! He needs to focus," Natsu said offhandedly as he looked Juvia in the eyes, confused as to how wide her pupils were, before he saw her nod her head, prompting him to slowly remove his hand from her mouth.

'He's touched Juvia! What should Juvia say! What should Juvia do?!" Juvia as she looked into Natsu slitted eyes, surprised by the lack of fear she felt in her chest as her heart rate skyrocketed, unaware that her rain was now only spitting.

"Ju-... Juvia's name is Juvia," the bluenette bit out as she continued to look into Natsu's eyes, feeling the power, and warmth he gave off even from a foot away, feeling an entirely alien feeling blossom in her chest as she saw the sincerity in his eyes, unlike anyone but Gajeel had ever treated her with.

"Juvia... What a pretty name... Can I call you Juv?" Natsu asked suddenly, completely unaware that she had heard his mutterings as he turned to look her in the eyes, utterly confused by the blush that quickly began to envelop her entire face, even crawling down her neck.

"Th-thannk you," Juvia said softly as she looked to the ground, her movement causing Natsu's eyes to be drawn towards the glistening black button on her Teru Teru Bozu doll's face, making a small smile grow on his face, remembering the first Christmas he had spent with Gildarts, Laxus, and Makarov, and remembering the look on Laxus' face as he practically shoved something in his face before walking away embarrassed.

"What's its name? I call mine pyro!" Natsu said childishly as his left hand was engulfed by a flash of white light, before a maroon red Bozu Bozu doll appeared in his hand, making Juvia look at him in shock before her eyes shot open, a small smile growing on her face as her rain began to build up again.

"Juvia... Juvia calls him Pyua Yūjin," Juvia said softly as her hands slowly climbed towards her shall, he fingers fiddling with a clasp as she slowly removed her Doll from her lapel, before holding it in front of Natsu. Natsu only felt sadness build in his chest as he quickly translated the name, 'Pure Friend...' Natsu thought as he looked to the sky, having had already recognized that Gajeel and Juvia were close but other than that...

"You know... I always loved the rain. Growing up with my dad, he would always let me go all out when training in a forest, knowing that the rain would stop a forest fire... Those were some of the best fights I've ever had..." Natsu said as he looked up at the sky, missing Juvia's shocked look as she stared at the Saint.

"You... Don't you hate Juvia's rain? Isn't it cold?" Juvia asked curiously, but almost hopefully as she stared at the man, as even sometimes Gajeel would grow tired of her rain, murdering about joint problems.

"Juvia, I'm the prince of Fire Dragons... if I ever got cold I'd have to give up the throne," Natsu said with a smirk as he tilted his head, glancing at Juvia only to be confused by her blushing, euphoric look on her face before his keen nose picked up the scent of salt, and with the tear tracks on her face...

"Oh no! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you cry!" Natsu panicked quietly as he reached over and placing his hands on her shoulders, feeling even more worried when he felt he shoulders begin to shake just the smallest amount, and with her head down he could only assume she was now sobbing, and it was all because of him.

'Way to go Natsu! You just discovered a new way to win a fight, breaking their friggin hearts,' Natsu thought sardonically as his chest was enveloped in guilt before his ears began to pick up on something entirely different... Laughter.

"Ne... Natsu-sama, Juvia is not upset, Juvia is happy... Nobody has ever been this nice to Juvia before..." The bluenette said as she lifted her head up, only to gasp when she felt her hat come in contact with Natsu's chin and push his head back as she lifted her head, before she began laughing even harder at the confused look on his face as he began to rub his chin a bit, a small smile growing on his face as he saw the smile reach her eyes for the first time.

But when his head was back, his eyes picked up on something shocking, but good, as he saw the storm clouds clearing out, with much-needed sunshine raining down and basking everyone in a comfortable warmth.

"Well, would you look at that..." Natsu said as he looked Juvia in the eyes, before gesturing her to look upwards by moving his head. "Looks like the rain has gone away," He said as Juvia's entire body locked up, her eyes staring into his in shock, not wanting to look up and ruin the moment with her new... Friend.

Natsu mouth slightly tilted into a frown when he saw her refuse to look up, before a smile grew on his face, making Juvia look up at him adoringly, finding him to be one of the most attractive men she has ever met. The warm, comfortable warmth that made you feel safe, his childish nature that let you laugh your worries away, and that smile...

He slowly lifted his hand to her chin, making her stop shocked still, before he gently, but firmly began tilting her head back, making her gasp when she realized he was right, and that the rain that had been following her ever since her parents had died... Was now gone. 'Juvia... Juvia has found Juvia's beloved, Juvia's one and only that will make Juvia happy, and give Juvia thirteen babies!' Juvia thought happily as she experienced sunlight for what felt like the first time in too long.

'She's so cute!' Natsu thought internally as he watched her wide, innocent eyes stare up at the sun, almost as if she was amazed. These were the moments he lived for, to be able to completely change someone's life for the better, and open their eyes to something breathtaking and life-changing.

Their moment was quickly and brutally broken when they felt a large burst of magic from where Gajeel stood, making them turn their heads, a smile growing on Natsu's face when he saw the dark, grayish aura surrounding his body, before turning back to Juvia, finding it hard not to smile at the cute expression on her face.

"It was really nice talking to you Juv, and I really hope after all of this is said and done... That we can continue to be friends," Natsu said with a hopeful smile on his face as he held his arms out to Juvia, a silent request for a hug, smiling even harder when he saw the large smile on her own face.

"Juvia would really like that... Natsu-kun," Juvia said as she quickly glimpsed the pin haired slayer and laid her head on his shoulder, basking in his warmth and kindness, plans of leaving Phantom Lord already being made in her mind as she finally found her purpose in life... Him.

"Now, how about we see if Gajeel can put the pedal to the metal," Natsu said with a smirk on his face, as Juvia slowly let go, already promising herself to see him again as she watched him flash away from her and appear ten feet away from Gajeel, with his back to the city as he sent a wink to Juvia, who simply watched contently as they prepared to Duke it out.

"What... What is this?" Gajeel asked shocked, as he could feel his own magic at two times its regular strength, not recognizing, or have ever heard of a form of magic like this as he looked up at Natsu, too shocked to notice the lack of rain.

"That, would be your Iron Drive, Black Steel, not quite Dragon Force, but it should work," Natsu said with a smile on his face as he requipped away the last bits of his armor, before he raised his hand to his chin, thinking for a second.

"Gajeel, can you eat more than just iron?" Natsu asked curiously as an idea sparked in his mind making the Iron dragon slayer look at him confused, wanting to believe that Natsu was now scared of his new form, but knew better, especially since he can smell fear.

"What do you want now Salamander, are we going to fight or not?" Gajeel growled as he crossed his arms over his chest, making Natsu roll his eyes as he literally waved the dragon slayer off.

"This is more important, yes, or no," Natsu asked as he glared at the Iron Dragonslayer, as his fire began to swirl around his body as he lowered into a fighting stance, making Juvia confused as she waited for her Natsu-kun to attack Gajeel-san.

"Yes... Can we fight now?" Gajeel said through gritted teeth as he had to hold himself back from shaking in excitement as he stared at the dragon slayer, excited and curious of this dark red flame that was used earlier, the prospect of a good fight only amplified by his dragon instincts.

"Here, eat this..." Natsu said as his right hand was enveloped in a white flash of light, indicating a requip as he threw a metal dagger towards Gajeel, who simply slapped his hands over the blade, stopping it from adding a new piercing to his nose as he held in a growl, before taking a bite of the metal, only to be shocked when they all felt his magic shift a bit, as his body became covered with a silver colour of metal, so very different from his Dark Gray, Iron dragon scales.

"What... What did you do to me?!" Gajeel asked as he almost felt fear, unsure as to what the fire dragon had done to him before he felt his anger spike at the look on Natsu's face. 'I don't feel weaker... but my body feels heavier... And it didn't taste like it had lead in it either...' Gajeel thought worriedly as he stared up at the Saint, hoping that the man hadn't tricked him into weakening himself.

"I won't tell you, I'll show you!" Natsu yelled as he disappeared from the spot he stood, the only thing saving moving faster than Gajeel could hear, his footsteps almost sounding like a single nose as he took an uppercut to the gut that created a large gust of wind flying behind the metal man, his reflexes hindered by this new metal form.

But what shocked everyone, was that Gajeel wasn't even moved from his spot and that he didn't even feel a third of the pain he should have, the punch feeling more like a tap than a punch, making a smile grow on Gajeel's face as well.

"Yes! Just what I wanted!" Natsu yelled as he flashed away, this time appearing above Gajeel's head, as he put his hands together, almost as if he was praying, before slamming them down upon Gajeel's head, who struggled to block in time, as Natsu's hands smashed into Gajeel's head, shaking the entire ground, and sending a huge plume of dust into the air as both slayers were hidden from sight.

Juvia watched, worried for Gajeel as she watched his magic shift, only forming to become slower, and a punching bag for the saint, as she stared on in a mixture of worry and confusion, as she prayed Natsu was doing this for Gajeel, and that he was the man that Juvia knew he was, and that he wasn't taking advantage of the antisocial slayer, to defeat him.

A clap was heard, so strong and loud it sent a literal shockwave through the air, just loud enough to dispel all the dust in the air, revealing Natsu standing on the edge of a huge, eight-foot-wide crater, of which a perfectly unharmed Gajeel was revealed to be standing in the middle, just where he had stood earlier.

"I'm gonna give you ten seconds to explain what the hell this is," Gajeel growled out in anger as he crossed his heavy arms over his chest, only now realizing not just how heavy his body was, but how little magic he had as well. Whatever this form of Magic was, it quickly drained his contained.

"Let's start at the beginning, What you just ate... Was Adamantine." Natsu explained making both Gajeel and Juvia's eyes shoot open in shock, as that was _the_ strongest metal in Earthland. Gajeel's minds quickly began to put together the dots, his jaw dropping as he realized what everything meant.

"Is this Adamantine Dragon Slaying Magic?" Gajeel asked shocked as he continued to stand in the middle of the crater, holding his arms out in front of his body and ignoring how exhausted he felt as he looked at the Saint, who sighed before stepping into the crater, landing perfectly balanced on the uneven ground.

"That... I doubt. It's probably more like an Adamantine Dragon's armor... But to actually use it in attacks? No. That's the effect of your Iron Drive, you can consume and assimilate any form of metal... But the trickiest part is summoning it on command," Natsu said as he walked towards Gajeel, before flicking the man's forehead, and sending him to the ground.

Gajeel looked up at Natsu in shocked and angry before he was consumed by exhaustion, catching sight of the shiny silver armor flaking off of his skin, every little scale falling off as the mode wore out, his magical container completely drained as he laid there, unconscious but mostly unharmed.

Natsu simply smirked as he bent over, grabbing Gajeel's arm and throwing the unconscious dragonslayer over his shoulder before adjusting the man's large frame so that he wouldn't fall, before he jumped out, his feet leaving an indent on the outside of the crater as he landed, before walking towards Juvia, but not stopping in front of her.

"C'mon Juv, there are some people I would like you to meet," Natsu said as he held his left arm down for the waiter maiden, his right hand too occupied with holding the Iron dragon on his shoulder to do anything else.

Juvia continued to stare at Natsu, her eyes locked on his shirtless, _scarred_ chest, her eyes trailing over his abs, shoulders, and arms as she took in the marks that littered his body, especially the new, raw pink skin covering the entirety of his torso, proof of Gajeel's metal, if Natsu didn't completely outmatch the Iron Dragon.

Natsu just sighed as he snapped his finger in front of her face, intending on snapping her out of her stupor, and succeeding as she shook her head, dazed, before hesitantly reaching up and grabbing his hand, the semblance completely unknown to Natsu as he gently pulled her to her feet before leading her towards the back of the guild hall, intending on walking through the build, rather than around as they completely forgot about the unconscious, or immobile forms of Sol, Totomaru, and Aria.

 **Warren's PoV**

'Could Natsu really defeat all of them on his own?' Warren pondered as he watches Gray attempt coax Loke out of his rut, the orange haired playboy only staring into a blank space, not to mention guilt literally radiated off of him like Natsu radiates heat.

'Alzack, how is that Pink haired saint doing anyway?' Warren asked through the link as he turned around from the entrance to the stairs, and turning to watch the Fairies lounging in the Phantoms den, not a care in the world as they simply waited for Natsu to finish.

'the fight almost seems to be over, but there is no sign of any magic or people leaving the area, this could be a trap, so don't approach," Alzack reported as he looked through his scope across the Phantom's guild hall, sensing no magic output either, worrying him.

'Thanks, keep me posted...' Warren asked as he walked towards the bar, taking care not to step on any debris or holes in the floor as he scanned the room.

Elfman was sitting at a booth near the wall, as Shiko finished applying a solve on his shoulders, not wanting to waste any more magic, as there was no telling what condition Natsu was in. Especially with Lucy missing and no sign of their master anywhere.

Erza was sitting at the counter, eating a slice of strawberry cheesecake, in an attempt to calm down, angry at the phantoms for soiling her armor. Cana was holding a mug of beer in her hands as she sorted her cards, taking a sip every so often as she prepared for what comes next.

Gray was trying to get Loke to do anything as they sat at a table beside the bar, even going as far as to looking for a pin-up magazine in an attempt to sex the man out of his stupor.

Jet and Droy were arguing by the door, trying to prove who took out more phantoms, and thus, who defended Levy's honor the best, as if it had any real impact on their relationship with the bookworm.

Bisca was sitting at the last standing table, with a euphoric Laki sitting across from her, a creepy smile on her face as she stared into space, making Bisca worried as to what the woman was thinking about as she began to clean her new gun, treating it as if it was her only child.

Wakaba, Sherry, and Yukino were all still unconscious, most likely from magical exhaustion since Shiko gave them the 'ok'. They were all lying on the floor beside the door, a folded up blanket being their only comfort, courtesy of Erza's requip space as everyone simply waited for Natsu to return, hoping he'll bring back someone for questioning.

And so that sat, small talk being exchanged as they recovered and rested, making plans and discussing small things as they waited, trying to ignore their anxiety at the silence outside, before the whole Guildhall shook, along with the ground, making people jump out of their seats, magic, and weapons ready as they watched the exits.

'i Can't see what's happening! There a huge cloud of dust," Alzack reported quickly making Warren frown as he turned to the Fairies around him, before sighing, hoping that Erza will take lead. And so he turned to the scarlet-haired knight, only for his jaw to drop when he saw she was still sitting at the bar, and eating her cheesecake. And as he turned around in shock, curious and worried to see what everyone else was doing, he was surprised to see Shiko, Cana, and Gray staying where they were, as if there were no threat whatsoever.

"Erza! What are you doing! Guys, Come on!" Warren said as he looked around, making Erza sigh as she set her fork down, bringing attention to her completely clean plate as she stood up, before walking towards Warren and setting her hand on his shoulder, making his panicked eyes turn to hers, as they locked onto eachother.

"You've done well leading them up until this point, even with having no experience leading before. And Master would be proud of you... But there is one thing you still have to learn as a leader... You have to trust people to fight their own fights, and believe in their strength." Erza said with a smile towards Warren making him smile before his mouth clothed along with his eyes, before his chest began to swell, before emptying, signifying he took a deep breath to calm down.

"Thanks... I just..." Warren said before cutting off, as Erza patted her hand on his shoulder, while everyone else lowered their weapons and sighed, before returning to their seats, waiting to see the outcome of the fight outside, and taking note to check the doors every few minutes, their hands no further than a foot away from their respective weapons as they waited in a nervous silence, until _it_ happened.

*Crash!*

"OK! Can we seriously go check _that_ out?!" Warren yelled as he jumped out of his seat, having had it with the anxious silence as they _waited_ for the winner to walk through the door, what was actually only two minutes seeming longer than three hours as they could now hear the sounds of thumping coming down the hallway just off of the main hall.

Warren stood there, watching as Cana finished her mug of beer before she carefully set her mug of beer down onto counter before standing up, swaying ever so slightly as She was joined by Erza and Gray as they stood in front of the door, all of them having their respective magics at the ready as everyone else filled in behind the stronger mages, including Macao, who was standing with the others, without any proof or sign of the hole in his thigh as they all watched the large wooden door in worry, now hearing mumbling from behind the door, as the thumping was now revealed to be footsteps, approaching the door. Until they heard the handle shake...

But the door did not open.

"Oh come on... What is up with your guild locking soo many doors!" The muffled voice of Natsu could be heard, making everyone let out a collective sigh of relief, as they returned to their seats and put their weapons away as they watched in amusement as Natsu struggled to open the door, before the door, and the entire frame itself was completely torn off the wall, and set gently on the ground, revealing Natsu, and a _too_ familiar stunning bluenette standing side by side, with an unconscious man resting on Natsu's shoulder.

"That's one of the women who attacked us!" Gray said as he jumped back into an offensive stance, with the rest of the first assault ground joining behind him, as they all readied their magic's, confusing Natsu, who stepped in front of Juvia, the man still on his shoulders as he blocked them off from Juvia.

"Woah, Woah Woah. Why are you attacking Juvia?" Natsu asked curiously as he stepped in front of the blond, knowing that the woman's water body would fall to the sea empress eventually.

"Dude! What do you mean?! She's part of the reason we were captured in the first place! I cannot believe you sometimes..." Gray said, trailing off, in the end, his tone becoming even more annoyed as he slammed his hand on the table beside him, while Cana turned around, throwing her hands in the air in annoyance.

"Right... somehow you forgot to mention this to me," Natsu said as he turned around, unaware that Juvia had to duck to avoid Gajeel's unconscious, flying legs as Natsu turned to face her. "Well, she apologized, all is well, right?" Natsu asked hopefully as he turned back to his guildmates, making even Jet and Droy sigh in annoyance, as Juvia ducked in avoidance to Gajeel's legs swinging back around.

"Is this a habit of yours? To constantly consort with the enemy, especially the women?" Erza asked with a bemused smile on her face as she looked at the bluenette, who still had not risen from her bow.

"Juvia, how about a deal for your forgiveness... How about you tell us where Aria took Lucy, and we forget this ever happened?" Cana asked with a smile on her face, making Juvia look up from her bow, before slowly rising.

"Juvia does not know much, and Juvia is sorry," Juvia replied as she looked to the mages before her in a hopeful attempt, hoping to find a way to make it up to the fairies.

"Wait, Wait, Wait! What do you mean Lucy is missing, what the hell happened?" Natsu asked, worriedly as he set his burden down upon the nearest table with little care, making Laki wince as the table almost snapped and broke under the pressure while Natsu looked around the room, and realized that the buxom blonde was in fact missing, making worry fill his chest cavity as he realized that this whole war may be due to more than simple jealousy.

"During the assault on Phantom, Aria swept in and kidnapped Lucy, while everyone was too busy trying to fend off their lackeys... We couldn't make it in time, especially with Master being injured, It was so foolish of me to assume this was just about pity, and not recognize what was truly at hand," Erza explained as she clenched her fist in anger, mostly at herself, since she was their leader, and this was her responsibility.

"Hey, Juv... Mind telling us what you do know? Please? Do you at least know where Jose is now?" Natsu asked honestly as he looked her in the eyes, unaware that she would do anything for him, even _if_ he didn't beg, or ask. All he would have to do is simply look her in the eyes.

"Should Juvia tell you why we attacked? Or do you just want to know where Joe is, Natsu-sama?" Juvia asked as she looked him in the eyes, and clasping her hands in front of her face, trying to do her best to appease her new, best friend, and love interest, while Gray and Shiko rolled their eyes, confused as to how Natsu seemed to always get himself in these situations.

"Please tell us everything, that way we can react to the situation properly..." Natsu said with a sigh as he sat down at the nearest table, with Juvia following close behind him and practically ending up in his lap, as Erza, Cana, and Gray filled in the bench opposite to them at the table, as Warren sat to Juvia's right.

"Okay, before we go over that... What the hell happened out there... and why does he not seem injured?" Warren asked, his curiosity getting the best of him as he looked over his shoulder to the unconscious Gajeel, making Natsu smirk as he looked at the telepath.

"Oh, I taught him a new move," Natsu said with a wink in the telepaths direction making Gray slam his head on the table top, now one hundred percent sure the man simply did not understand the concept of teams, and battle, even though he was so good at the latter.

"What about the others?" Cana asked worriedly, knowing at heart that if they were all at full before the fight, she could have probably taken Sol out on her own... And Natsu was probably ten times as strong as her.

"Let's just say... that Makarov will be Aria's last, and final victim. And the others? Won't wake up for a very, _long_ time." Natsu said, his voice dead serious making everyone's face pale, the tone in his voice sounding absolutely deadly as even Juvia stared at the saint in shock, surprised that he had killed the air mage.

* * *

And onto the Reviews!

Guest 35/3- I can't make any promises with Ur yet. A few good suggestions, along with my own ideas will make sure she doesn't wake for the next three chapters or so, but that should be enough time to wrap up the Phantom Lord Arc. I just hope you all like the twist I put on it myself, as this is only going up from here on out.

Piddle 35/4- Thanks! I put lots of time and effort into each and every chapter, even if it doesn't seem like it,

Ridix 35/6- It is too long, and I completely agree. No, Galuna should _NOT_ have taken so long to write, but, if you think about it, if every chapter were to be at my new standard of 10k, it would only be about fourteen chapters or so? Which is still to long, yes, I get it. That was an interesting phase for me, the first arc I had ever written on my own, I was still learning, and developing as a writer, and I am so very thankful for those who have been on this crazy train since I started in February of this year (?)


	37. A History Discovered

And Onto the Story!

A man was standing in a dark room, standing in front of a large, grand window, watching over the movement and excitement outside with his hands clasped behind his back. Men and women alike were running around, setting up chairs and decorating tables with flowers and name tags alike.

The man continued to watch the commotion below him, his back straight and shoulders back, the perfect example of posture as he began to watch them set up lights, hanging above the dining area, along with cheers hanging above, so that nobody felt the heat of the sun on their necks as the ceremony approaching commenced.

His watchful eye was brought behind him when he heard someone's throat clear, the pitch of it leading him to believe them to be feminine, as he turned his head, his left eye falling upon the three, unusual figures behind him, one of them so large they barely fit, even with the right foot ceiling above them.

"You're Late..." The man said, his voice hard, but regal, his entire presence commanding their attention and focus as he turned around to look at the three people behind him, their magical presences so clearly hid, not to mention the fact he never heard them open a door in a silent room only proved their skills.

"Forgive our tardiness, for today is the beautiful meeting between two great names. Hopefully it will not end in blood" Ikaruga said with a slight bow at the beginning, straightening her body at the end of her statement, grins growing on the cloaked figures of the people behind her as the man simply nodded his head, still too many variables and chances for failure on this day, which is why he hired _them._

 **Natsu's PoV**

"A few months ago, Master was approached by a wealthy businessman, who was distraught, his daughter having had run away at the announcement of her engagement. Jose had used his sources, even sending Gajeel-san out to search for the young woman, until there was a new report about a week ago." Juvia explained as she looked at Natsu alone, turning to Look at Gajeel when she mentioned him, before turning back to Natsu, not wanting her new friend to be mad at her.

Everyone, listened in, even Alzack who had joined his guild during the middle of the statement, most of them confused, not putting the dots together, as only Cana's eyes shot open in shock, but not believing it to be true.

"And we had found her, the woman on the run, found nowhere but Fairy Tail's own guild, And this made Jose mad, and he made a plan, to anger you, and then take Makarov out, his only miscalculation, was the rest of you being so strong," Juvia explained, this time turning to look at the mages around her, noticing the happy grins on their faces, and feeling a smile grow on her own.

"And even now, he can still win..." Juvia began, only to be cut off by Cana, who had already figured everything out.

"Because Jose has Lucy, and they are probably going to start the ceremony any time now, right Juvia?" Cana asked, a gentle smile on her face when Natsu shot her a look, only for it to be returned tenfold when Juvia gave her a small, but heartwarming smile in return.

"Ok... Wait a minute, who's this businessman,?" Gray jumped in, not on the same train of thought some of the others, like Erza, was on.

"Jude Heartfilia, the CEO, and Owner of Heartfilia Konzern," Juvia explained as she looked Natsu in the eyes, hoping that he found her explanation good enough, and short enough. Everyone else though, their eyes shot open in shock, as the man was frequently in Sorcers weekly; 'Business Weekly' for his companies developments and their business ventures.

"Holy shit..." Macao whispered in shock as they all realized how much money she really had under her name, and confusing them as to why she would then choose the life of a mage, the dangerous, but the rewarding lifestyle is not one everyone could handle, something he knew all too well, as it was that lifestyle that had ended up almost ruining his marriage.

"Hey Juv, do you know where Jose took Lucy?" Natsu asked, his eyes wide as his simple, but strong mind was almost overtaken by the news that was just dropped on him, especially since he didn't solve the mystery until Cana spelled it out for him.

"Jose never told me where the wedding would take place... Please forgive me Natsu-sama!" Juvia said as she clasped her hands in front of her face, her eyes wide as they begged, and pleaded for him to not be upset with her, while Shiko and Gray rolled their eyes in annoyance,

Erza, on the other hand, turned her head towards the unconscious dragon slayer, before she began her approach, ignoring Juvia's plea as she walked towards Iron Dragon, catching the second Assault groups attention as they watched, curious as to what she was going to do.

"Nah, that's okay Juv," Natsu said with a smile on his face as he rubbed her head, making her lips turn to a pout as she put her hat back on after fixing her hair before he caught sight of Erza about to punch Gajeel in an attempt to wake him up.

"Woah, Erza, that won't wake him up," Natsu said as he practically teleported in front of Gajeel, the distance being so short his flaming steps were barely noticed, as he caught her unarmored hand in his palm, making her eyes shoot up to his face, a barely noticeable blush dusting her cheeks at what could be the first skin to skin contact she has had with someone, outside of a fight.

"Explain, now!" Erza demanded as she pulled her hand out of his palm, her tone lacking its usual steel, but most assumed it was because she was without her armor while Shiko watched on shocked, her knowledge in medicine mixed with her natural observations allowing her to realize Erza blush when Natsu held her hand in his. 'What the hell is up with this man and women? I swear, he has like five girls after him,!' Shiko thought shocked while everyone else looked at the Sakura haired man, confused.

"I didn't knock him out, he completely ran out of magic," Natsu explained as he stood in front of the iron Dragonslayer, leaving some of them even more confused.

"So if you weren't trying to knock him out, then what the hell was all that shaking and magic going around for?" This time it was Warren who spoke up, as everyone but those who knew Natsu best nodded their head in agreement with the telepath.

Gray was clenching his eyes closed, hoping that Natsu wasn't going to say anything along the lines of helping their enemy, while Shiko rolled her eyes. Cana walked over to the bars before grabbing her mug and taking a seat, a small smirk on her face as she watched the man, taking the time to appreciate his muscles and defined chest and abdomen while she took a sip of beer.

"Oh! I was showing him some new moves," Natsu said sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head nervously, as Gray groaned in annoyance with everyone else looking at him in shock, unsure as to why he would their _enemy,_ the same man that had hurt Jet and Droy, and ruined their Guildhall.

The two-thirds of Team Shadow Gear erupted in anger, shouting at the wizard saint while everyone else looked at the man annoyed before Erza turned around and silenced the two men with a glare.

"I won't even ask why you were doing that, but I need you to wake him up, _now,"_ Erza commanded as she turned her glare onto Natsu, her tone conveying her annoyance at his inability to hurt people, his track record shows him choosing to befriend, rather than defeat.

"Oh! Yeah, that should work," Natsu said as he nodded his head, knowing exactly what she wanted before both his hands erupted in those green flames, making everyone look on in curiosity, as magic like this was lost to the annals of time.

" _Fire Dragons Kings Secret Art! Sacred Eruption of Life!_ " Natsu called out as his entire body was enveloped in an aura of green flames, before he slammed his hands together, a huge shockwave comprised entirely out of green flames shooting out of his body in every direction, slamming into both Fairies and Phantoms, and covering the entire hall, even going as far as to reach the sleeping fairies as everyone watched confused, feeling neither force nor heat from the flames. Until they felt their empty magic containers fill exponentially until they were completely full, feeling so awake and alert as the sleeping mages began to stir.

Macao was the most shocked by far, having had always believed himself to be an expert when it comes to fire, having been completely proud of his sticky, but physical fore that allowed him to grab things. But to see a fire that could heal, but even more surprisingly restore magic...

Everyone turned to Natsu, expecting to see him on his knees pale as a ghost, especially after fighting all of Phantoms S Class, including the love-struck Juvia who's face was covered in a blush, as he even filled her own magic container, proving that she really was his friend.

But, they were all surprised to see Natsu poking the unconscious iron slayer with an actual stick, hearing the dark-haired, studded man groan as his arms began to move, showing he was waking up. They heard some shuffling and other movements behind them, as some of them turned around, watching as Yukino, Sherry, and Wakaba began to stir, beginning to get up as Shiko walked towards Wakaba, intending to check his lungs again.

Gajeel's arm quickly shot out, faster than some could see as he grasped the stick in Natsu hand so hard it literally shattered in his hands, while sipping Natsu from annoying him any further while Erza rolled her eyes, having to fight off the urge to throw the man into a wall, as staring a fight would waste even more time, but more importantly magic, that waiting.

"Wakey Wakey Iron Draggy," Natsu said as Gajeel quickly shot up, intending to strangle the man who dared call him such a name, before his hand was caught in Natsu's own, his eyes shooting open then narrowing as his own, red orbs locked onto Natsu's obsidian.

"Before you say anything, yes I can help you learn to summon your drive on will, But I'm going to need a little something from you," Natsu said as he increased his grip on Gajeel's arm, bring the man to a grimace before completely letting go and turning to Erza, gesturing the woman forward with a nod of his head while Gajeel rubbed his wrists and raised himself into a sitting position.

"Black Steel, where is Jose now," Erza asked, her tone colder than Gray's ice as she stared at a man that could easily be her equal in combat, making her wonder if Dragonslayer a were naturally strong fighters, or if they all had the capacity for greatness.

"Do I know exactly where our _master_ is? No. But given you are all here, and he isn't? Probably at the wedding," Gajeel said with a shrug as his arms moved to raise himself off the table before a sword suddenly impacted right between his legs, a hairs width from his jewels.

"Where is the wedding? You are his ace, surely he must have told you something," Erza growled out as he looked to the sword, still shaking from the impact between his legs before he grabbed the blade within his hands and tore it out of the table, with no sign of pain or blood anywhere as he rose to his feet.

"You will _not_ tell me what to do, because I'm tired, of being pushed around!" Gajeel roared as he flung the sword back at her faster than she could process, only for the blade caught by Natsu's hand half a foot away from her nose, leaving her actually cross-eyed, shocked at how far close it was to killing her, the force confirmed by the gust of wind she felt when Natsu blocked it, her eyes drifting to his face and was surprised to see his face twisted into a very dangerous scowl.

Gajeel didn't even have the chance to apologize, or even feel remorse as not even two seconds after he threw the blade, he was slammed into the wall with a force larger than that of a freight train as he was suspended in the air, the only thing holding him up was Natsu's fingers, curled around his neck as he glared up at the man who attempted to kill his guildmates.

Juvia looked between the two in shock still caught on the fact Gajeel almost murdered a woman, in front of everyone to realize just how red the slayer's face was turning, as his chest struggled for breath.

Natsu continued to stare up at Gajeel, his eyes practically glowing in his anger as Gajeel's skin turned darker and darker, his face now the colour of purple due to lack of blood flow until Natsu dropped him on the ground, leaving the man gasping for breath on his hands and knees as Natsu let out a deep sigh.

"He is right Erza... Gajeel is easily your equal in strength, perhaps even stronger. Treating him like a child would be wrong." Natsu said with a sigh as let out a deep sigh, remembering when Makarov had told him something similar when he first joined the guild in an attempt to curb Natsu's growing ego. And Natsu only learned that lesson when he was almost felled by Acnologia's claw.

Everyone, even Juvia, and Erza stared at Natsu shocked. The scarlet haired woman was surprised because Natsu almost killed Gajeel, as they could all see him struggle to get a breath since he had too much pride to fight for release. 'he almost killed Gajeel, just because he attacked me...' Erza thought as she gazed at the man in question with wide eyes, feeling that same warmth she had on Galina once more, leaving her even more conflicted than before.

Juvia was glad, that her new friend didn't kill her old friend, even if the retaliation was reasonable, because if Natsu hadn't had caught the blade... But, she was glad he showed mercy, allowing Gajeel to make up for his mistake. 'Natsu-sama is so merciful, his kindness and warmth are almost overwhelming,' Juvia thought as she regained her heart gaze once more.

The others, however, were surprised by the maturity he showed, a far cry from the arrogant young boy not even a decade ago, which made some of them realize they had been treating Natsu unfairly. Because he has grown as a person, into a better man, probably better than themselves, if they were so blind to his change after all this time.

"The marriage is between the Heartfilia family and the Junelle family, it's a meeting of their companies, and Jose, and our guild some perks or whatever," Gajeel said through a raspy throat as he started to crawl to push himself onto his hands and knees, before pushing himself onto his feet.

Erza simply nodded her head before releasing a breath, her mind taken by what happened, and what was said. 'Why am I so arrogant... To assume that I can simply boss everyone around,' She thought, completely missing the information Gajeel just imparted, her eyes staring into nothing before a heat on her back snapped her out of her funk.

"Alright," Natsu sighed as he looked around at everyone so eager to help and take back their friend, a smile on his face he noticed some of them were even looking to him rather than Erza. And this wasn't about power or authority, but because they trusted him to lead.

"All of you head back home and begin rebuilding," Natsu said with a sigh as he turned around, and walking towards the exit at the back of the guild, only for a wall of ice to shoot up in front of him, making him sigh as he turned around to see the angry,y shocked and disgruntled faces of Fairy Tail plus three.

"Right... Now we're just gonna all pretend you didn't just try and fight a wizard saint after five S class mages, and you take us with you," Gray said with a cold glare, his over his bare chest, meaning he had lost his shirt sometime after he had been released.

"Gray... This is going to be harder than Deliora... You know that, right?" Natsu asked with a sigh as he looked into the black-haired man's eyes, seeing the shock clear on the man's face as his jaw dropped.

"There's no way in Mavis that Jose is stronger than Deliora!" Gray yelled as he stormed forward, getting right in Natsu's face as they stared eachother down.

"There is a new factor in combat you need to learn, control. To fight at a wedding, between families like Junelle, and Heartfilia... The people that could be present could very well disband Fairy Tail if they were mad enough." Natsu said through gritted teeth, the more he had to realize the stakes, the harder the fight got, and the more stress on his shoulders.

"What! That imp-" Gray began, not wanting to accept the truth, when in fact it was a real threat. Heartfilia Konzern and Junelle Industries are two of the top five most influential companies in Fiore, a meeting like that could even catch the Kings attention!

"Gray, He's right," Erza stepped in, her analytical mind catching up quickly as she interrupted Gray's rebuttal making everyone look at her shocked, but not once did the thought of leaving Lucy to her fate crossed their mind.

"But Gray is also right," Erza said as she turned her stare to Natsu, understanding his predicament, because in another world that would have been her responsibility, her fight.

"Because who's to say that they don't have more mages on sight? We both know that this isn't all of Phantom's members, So we reach a compromise," Erza explained as she stepped forward, stopping beside Gray before turning her gaze around to Cana, who nodded her head.

Natsu glared at Erza, her argument being too realistic and strong to completely dismiss before he sighed.

"Fine... Let's go, we don't have much time," Natsu said as he turned around, his body being enveloped by a short flash of light before it quickly dissipated, revealing him wearing a black, leather chest plate reminiscent of ancient Rome, with a shin-length black cloak on top as he left the room, his cloak billowing behind him as he left, leaving the rest of the Fairy Tail members standing there silently, as they looked around.

"Tch," Gajeel said as he turned around, and left the room, pushing his way through the fairies as he headed towards the front entrance leaving Juvia standing there uncomfortable as her head shot between her two best friends, unsure as to what she should do before she felt a hand on her shoulder, making her jump as she looked up to see Shiko standing there with a pleasant smile on her face.

"Come on, why don't you tell me about the fight with Natsu okay?" Shiko said nicely, as she began to lead the bluenette through the path Gajeel took, passing by Wakaba, Max, and Elfman as they reached the door, prompting everyone to follow in silence, worries of their home, the one place that brought them together being taken away by bigwigs with too much cash, as they silently made their way to the train station, no longer triumphant or Victorius.

 **Cana's PoV**

"What's the plan?" Cana asked as Natsu lead the way outside, with Gray bringing up the caboose before they reached sunlight once more.

"The plan is to save Lucy from a marriage, if, she doesn't want it," Natsu said with a straight face as he walked down the steps at the back of the guild, pausing when he heard the mages behind him stop in shock.

"Hey, is it about my pl-" Natsu began as he turned around, stopping midsentence when he saw the shocked looks on their faces. He turned his head slightly before disappearing into a ball of fire, reappearing beside Gray as he tried to see what they did, snapping the Fairies out of their shock.

"Natsu... Is this a habit of yours? To destroy buildings, and everything else?" Erza asked, a glare on her face as she turned around, which quickly faded when she saw the look on his face, sighing when she remembered what happened with Gajeel.

"Not the time," Natsu said as he flashed around to the front of the three once more before leading them further out, as they began to take in the wreckage that occurred from the fight before the immobile body of Aria caught Gray's eye.

"Flame brain, what did you do to him," Gray said as he broke out of their small pack as he approached the apparently unconscious body of the large air mage, making Cana and Erza turn around, completely missing the dark look on his face that quickly turned into a frown within a millisecond.

Gray stopped by Aria's side and turning Aria's body over, shocked when he saw the bloody, scratched face, his once white blindfold now soaked in tears with spots of blood scattered on the front, leaving Gray silent as he turned to look at the Saint.

Erza turned to Natsu, a blank expression on her face before walking forward, and safely removing the blindfold from his face with a quick slash of her sword, revealing two teary red eyes, but his magic presence was not affected like it was rumored to. She then moved her hand to his neck, feeling the natural warmth in his body as she felt his heartbeat, making her eyes before she suddenly punched the large man in the one spot no man could not react to.

But there was no physic reaction, no move to cover his parts as an uncontrolled cry tore it's way out of the man's _closed_ mouth, muffled by his lips and teeth as he laid there before everyone turned their faces to Natsu, now knowing exactly what happened to the man.

"You paralyzed him?!" Erza yelled in shock as she got to her feet, noticing the scowl on his face as he looked down at the man, a shocking lack of remorse on the man's face as he met Erza's eyes.

"You all forget one thing. My magic is literally _made_ to kill, beings stronger than any man or woman on this planet. A magic that changes the human body, creating some kind of dragon-human hybrid. Not only altering our bodies but our minds. Our morals, and our needs in life... You forget this is the man that almost killed gramps, stealing his magic from his body... If we were even ten minutes late..." Natsu explained, his voice lacking its normal warmth, sounding colder and harsher than anyone thought possible as his eyes flashed a deep, blood red, leaving them shocked and scared at his lack of remorse...

But, they understood what he meant, even if they didn't like the result.

"And since they wanted Makarov to suffer and die, for something as petty as power, money or titles... Then he can sit there, and be powerless, watching as he can do _nothing_ ," Natsu explained with a growl before he disappeared in a flash of blood red, almost wine red flames, that felt different from even his HellFire flames, leaving them all shocked quiet, as they stared at the man that almost killed a man they all called grandfather.

 **Erza's PoV**

"Gray, go get Shiko," Erza commanded, her voice lacking its usual bravado as she stared down at the man below her, who writhed silently on the ground, unable to even use his magic in his current state. 'Punishments for crime are handled by court and law... And no punishment should be handed out in violence...' Erza reminded herself, her whole person and identity is based on her strong sense of justice...

But then she was conflicted, as she found the man's punishment almost just. He did not die, and he will still live. 'But did he really deserve it?' was the question growing through the three's mind as they all looked down at the immobile Aria.

"No..." Gray said silently, not even trying to argue that he was Erza's equal because he wasn't.

"Flame brain is right, perhaps he shouldn't have done it, but like he said, Master almost Died. My second Master almost died, and for the second time, there was _nothing_ I could have done about it!" Gray yelled as he looked down at the man, his body radiating cold as he looked down at the man, feeling no remorse at his state.

Erza looked at Gray shocked, but in her mind, she did understand what he was meaning. It reminded her back when Gramps Rob died, and the men she had hurt and left to die in the tower... Before she let out a sigh.

"Perhaps, you are right. For now, he suffers," Erza said as she looked at Gray, looking at his nod before turning to Cana, surprised to see how sober she looked.

"And we can heal him later. The sad part is Natsu is legally on the right. He was sent by the council this top this conflict before it fell out onto the citizens of Fiore, and when fighting five S class mages at once, there will be injuries." Cana said with a sigh, surprised her view of Natsu hadn't changed at all.

'I don't agree with the violence, nor what he did... but he did have a point... But what were those flames? They didn't feel natural at all...' Cana considered carefully, as she looked down at the man that could have been a few minutes away from killing the one man who brought them all together, giving them a home to find peace in.

They all looked at each other, confirming their decision before they all began running to the train station, planning on heading towards the Heartfilia estate, to rescue their friend.

 **Jude's PoV**

"Mr. Heartfilia, the florists are here, the cooks are preparing the meal, and I need you to take a look at the cake," Gloria, Jude's assistant said as she knocked on the door to his office, pushing her head through the cracked door, a clipboard in her arms as she looked at the imposing figure of Mr. Heartfilia himself as he stared out the large window behind his large, grand desk in the middle of his office. Everything in the room screamed expensive and luxurious.

"I'll be right there..." Jude said as he turned around, revealing his perfectly manicured beard and hair as he walked around the desk and followed his assistant down the hall, as they passed by cleaning maids and servants running around in an attempt to prepare the already perfect house for the many esteemed guests who were to be coming to the wedding, which was only an hour away, as everyone continued to rush around in an attempt to prepare the manor for the wedding.

"I must ask sir, was it really necessary to hire those... miscreants?" His assistant asked as she looked up at the owner of one of the largest conglomerate runners in all of Fiore, worried that hiring such _people_ could cause very large, and bad fallouts, for more than just The Heartfilia clan.

"Gloria, you know just as well as I do, how _important,_ it is that this marriage goes off without a hitch, it will not only show the stability of our family, especially since... But, it will also merge our two companies together, giving us more reach and security than we've ever had before," Jude explained as Gloria simply nodded her head, not particularly understanding why men always strived for more power but agreeing anyways.

"But what about the Master Jose's presence, does that not create enough protection? Some of the cleaning maids were creeped out by the fact they were being watched..." Gloria asked as kindly, and nicely as possible, not wanting to aggravate the large man that could ruin her life in the blink of an eye.

Jude Heartfilia's mood hit a 180 almost immediately, a terrifying scowl on his face only intensified by his manicured beard and stache, as he glared down at the petite, attractive woman, making her clench her clipboard to her very generous chest as she took steps back, not only in fear but in worry as well.

"But, what you seem to _forget, is that my daughter_ has made some very dangerous, and powerful friends. The very man! that brought her to Fairy Tail is ranked higher than Jose in the saints, and their Master even higher than that. I cannot have this marriage go awry, or else I won't just have your job!" Jude growled as he forced her against the wall with no more than his intimidating gaze, his tone becoming spiteful at the mention of his daughter, that had cost him so much, even after everything he had done for her. At the end of his sentence, he slammed his large hand into the wall beside her head, the force and sound of it making her flinch as everyone else stopped working, staring at the man who practically owned _all of them._

Jude quickly backed up, taking a handkerchief out of his suit jacket and wiping the dirt and dust off his palms, before returning it back to his pocket. And just as he turned to continue to the dining room, he stopped, when he saw that all his employees, people he paid to work, even increasing their hourly wages for their day, due to such short notice. And they weren't working, rather staring with disgust, and even worse, pity.

"What are you all doing! Get back to work! NOW!" Jude growled as he stormed down the hallway with a scared shitless Gloria running awkwardly in her heels in an attempt to catch up to the imposing man, continuing their walk in silence before they stopped in front of two large wooden double doors, with Gloria hurrying to open the door for Jude, lest he chews her out again.

"Oh, it's outstanding, marvelously done Gloria," Jude said aloud as he opened the door, revealing the humongous eighteen tier wedding cake, wrapped in shiny gold, royal blue, and amethyst fondant, that only accentuated the intricately carved white fondant covering the entire cake. The fondant was a work of magic in itself, with colored frosting inlays of the wedding colors, showing both the Heartfilia Konzern and Junelle Industries logo's scattered all around, with the classic, miniature statues of the bride and groom on top, the beautiful blonde being of stark contrast to the hideous and portly groom, that looked lifelike as they _literally_ danced across the top tier of the cake, an actual work of magic. The cake was placed up against the far wall of the room, almost directly opposite to the entrance to the garden.

The entire table was covered in fine Gold, Blue and Violet silks that were perfectly and masterfully layered, with rose petals of the same color decorating the blank space. All and all, the entire cake itself, cost well more than even Gloria made in an entire year, the only good part is that as Jude's assistant, she was on the guest list, and just like every other employee, were allowed a slice _after_ the party.

Even though Gloria was more than aware that this wedding was less than consensual, she was jealous of this large, extravagant wedding. A thing she had dreamed of ever since she was a little girl, playing house with her dolls in the orphanage until the older girls stole them away...

"No, no NO!" Gloria! What did I tell you! I want three roses and four croci' per bouquet! FIX THIS!" Jude growled as he literally yelled at the florists, scaring the man carrying the flowers into grabbing the bucket of bouquets and running back out the door to the carriage that they were brought in, almost running into the door frame in the process.

"I'll go with him and make sure they fix it Mr. Heartfilia!" Gloria yelled as she followed the man outside, struggling once again to run in the heels that felt so unnatural to wear, but it was what Mr. Heartfilia demanded.

Jude simply sighed as he looked up before his eye caught onto a large portrait hung on the wall, the last portrait they ever had, depicting the last time their family was together. And he did his best to ignore the burning feeling in his chest as he grits his teeth and turned around, doing his best to ignore the ache in his chest as he remembered the fact that the only reason they hadn't heard Lucy's screaming, was because Jose still had her under his sleep spell.

"Mr. Heartfilia! There is a man at the front gate asking to see you!" Gloria yelled as she ran out, making Jude quirk a brow before he sighed, and followed Gloria out of the door into the garden, allowing him to examine and look over the entire wedding, and approving over the fact that the stage they were supposed Lucy and Sawarr were supposed to tie the knot on was overlooking the deep valleys and high hills, with luscious green acres of grass, and even a small lake in the bottom of the valley.

The flower vines were perfectly wrapped across the white trellis' that spanned across the luscious leather seats, which proved this was more than just a normal wedding. Every, single, seat, was not a bench, pew or folding chair. But a luscious, leather, padded lazy boy of all things, and there were over two hundred set upon the very lawn. With a dozen pews in the very back, for anyone _else_ that wanted to attend the wedding.

"Mr. Heartfilia! Mr. Heartfilia! Are you excited about your daughter's sudden wedding? This is so COOL!" Screamed the world's most annoying reporter in the history of Magic, Fiore and the human race itself; Jason from Sorcerer's magazine.

"Gloria! I thought I told you I wanted _no reporters."_ Jude growled through a blinding, pearly white smile as Jason approached, with a gaggle of cameramen and someone on a boom mic.

"If I am to be completely honest, I myself was very surprised when Lucy came home a few days ago, saying that she has had her excitement and was ready to be married," Jude said oh so convincing as Jason stared at him, everything on live camera as people still continued to run around preparing things last minute for the wedding.

"But why the rush, why not wait? She is just seventeen after all," Jason asked as he looked at the large imposing man, never afraid to take Sorcerer's magazine one step further than all others, even if it out him dangerous situations.

"Unbeknownst to the public, this marriage was actually arranged a few years ago, and she's had enough time to think and learn, and she's chosen security of excitement," Jude explained with the occasional hand gesture as he stared straight into the camera, his ability to lie completely astonishing Gloria, and finally convincing the young assistant that her boss was truly a sociopath.

"Is it true that even the King and Princess of Fiore are to be attending the marriage ceremony?" Jason asked, wanting to finish with his basic questions before he dug too deep, knowing that everyone clams up and runs off when you like too hard.

"I did hand deliver an invitation to them myself, however, I can neither confirm nor deny whether they are coming, not their safety, but for the safety of my guests," Jude explained magnificently, ignoring Gloria's cough as _she_ was the one who had to ride a train a few hours to deliver that invitation, not him.

"I noticed you referred to her having had enough excitement, do you care to tell us what was so exciting that a young teen decided to not roam free?" Jason asked conspiringly, as all cameras honed in on Mr. Heartfilia, and his assistant, hoping that one would break under the pressure.

"Well, after travelling around Fiore for a few months, she had ended up joining a magic guild, and almost died on a mission," Jude explained, the entire statement vague and practiced while Jason's lip quirked, his reporters instinct screaming at him that there was more to this story than Jude let on.

"Would you care to tell us-" Jason began, only to be cut off by a loud explosion, making everyone's head turn to the gates of the compound, before Jason, his team and security began to run towards the gates, hoping to prevent whatever, or whoever was about to ruin the ceremony.

Fortunately for Heartfilia Konzern, and Jude, the cameras did not pick up on his terrifying scowl as he turned around briskly, rather deciding to run and retrieve Master Jose, as that would make everyone feel comfortable, and ensure they still come.

 **Natsu's PoV**

 **"** What the hell are you?!" Natsu asked as he jumped, and ran around, avoiding this oversized man owl with a jetpack as he flew around, his beak wide open as he attempted to _eat_ the dragon slayer.

"Hooo, I told you! I am Fukuro, the warrior of Justice, and you have been deemed guilty!" The strange owl-bird-man cried out as he flew into the air, before diving back down in an attempt to gain enough speed to catch the speedy slayer.

"Guilty of what exactly?!" Natsu yelled annoyed as they ran around in the wooded area in front of the huge, illustrious Heartfilia gate. He closed his eyes and he continued to run around, locating Fukuro before running towards a tree and jumping off of it.

His body crashed into Fukuro's before they began to wrestle on the ground, and even though Fukuro was almost three times the size of Natsu's muscular frame, he was easily able to keep up with the Birdman, who tried to bend his neck down to peck at Natsu, finding himself at a complete disadvantage at such close range combat.

Just as Natsu pinned the bird man's left arm to the ground, he was surprised to hear an engine turn on, before they were flung into the sky, spiraling into the air Fukuro struggled to shake the slayer off, who was stuck holding onto the man's large, trunk-like leg.

"Oh screw it Natsu muttered as he let go, turning his back as he fell down to the ground with a worry in his mind as Fukuro quickly spun around and followed the Fairy Tail Mage back down.

"Jet ho ho hou!" Fukuro shouted as he used his magic to exponentially increase the velocity of his jetpack as he quickly began catching up to Natsu, forgetting they were only twenty feet above the ground.

Natsu quickly took advantage of Fukuro's lack of awareness, reverting himself into his flaming steps, and avoiding impact with Fukuro as the man crashed into the ground, before shooting above the man and reverting back to normal, only this time his hand was enveloped in fire as he shot through the dust cloud created by Fukuro's impact, using his senses to find the Birdman.

Not even two seconds later Natsu fist, enhanced by his flames crashed into the back of Fukuro's jetpack, right between the Jets, and causing an explosion of fire that made Fukuro Hoo in pain. The force of Natsu Punch sent the man further into the ground, cratering the once beautiful, well-managed earth.

The heat and excision of flames were so great it burnt the grass and dirt around them, scorching the ground in a three-foot radius before Natsu gained complete control of the explosion, ignoring the smoke that billowed into the sky as he was left standing atop a badly burnt Fukuro.

"Who the hell was he," Natsu as he looked at the owl man, searching for any sign of tattoo or emblem that would link him to a dark guild or mercenary group. He quickly turned the man over, hoping that this front was less burnt and blistered, before noticing a faint, but visible emblem on the man's left thigh right near his groin, before sighing and Requipping a blanked before covering the man, before his keen ears caught the incoming footsteps of people from two different directions. One from the manor itself, and the other from slightly off to the left side of it.

He sat there for a second, debating whether or not he should stay at the gate to talk and explain what happened, before sighing, disappearing in a flash of fire and flames, leaving a wad of jewels on the ground to pay for the damage as he flashed away, to the left side where he heard the single, separate set of footsteps, already annoyed that he lost the surprise factor.

He flew along the fence, just on the other side, before he saw a hooded figure running across the lawn, he quickly his behind a fence post, changing the shape of his flames so that they gave off, no light or heat as he reverted back, closing his eyes and focusing, as he watched the man run by.

That was until he quickly jumped to the side, his eyes shooting open in shock as he watched an almost invisible slash slam into the fence post, watching as it easily cut through the brick fence post before digging into the ground, making Natsu sigh at even more property damage, before turning his eyes to the culprit.

He watched as a woman slowly and confidently walked out of the woods surrounding the grounds of the mansion. She was a relatively short woman, maybe only five one, or five two. And the most striking thing about her was her pink hair tied in two buns above her head, that wasn't as vibrant as Natsu's, or even as deep as Sherry's.

She was wearing a revealing, but relatively comfortable looking kimono, that had elaborate, flaming skull emblems on both the sleeves and sides of her kimono. But, those flaming skull heads, were familiar, and seemed almost exactly like the faint tattoo he found on the owl man's leg, making Natsu quickly cross his arms as he glared at the short, but a developed woman.

"So, I guess you're in leagues with the bird boy," Natsu said with a sigh as he took a step towards the woman, leaving only ten feet in between the two as they stared the other down, as Natsu struggled to find what had caused such a slash.

"I'm surprised, you aren't that stupid for such a brute," the woman said with a giggle into her sleeve, as she purposely revealed the presence of a very, elaborate marroon colored katana handle in her left sleeve.

Natsu only narrowed his eyes, realizing that the woman was both taunting and teasing him, knowing exactly what he was looking for before he sighed, realizing that he at least had to fight Jose later on, as he had no other Lacrima's on him for a power-up, realizing if he fought her now, he could easily fall to the saint.

"How much are they paying you," Natsu said with a sigh as he glared at the woman, exhaling through his nose as he stared the woman in the eyes, and not once did his gaze linger on the beauty marks beneath her eyes.

"More than you can afford, trust me," the pink haired woman said with a giggle as she stared at the admittedly attractive man before her, amused that he would try to buy his way out of the fight, even if she was surprised he avoided her first slash.

The area was enveloped in silence, as Natsu carefully mulled over and decided how much he should pay her to go away, wishing he had brought the other three along, as any of them would have been able to handle the swordswoman.

"Five million jewels? Ten? Twenty?" Natsu asked curiously as he stared at the pink haired woman before him, making her pause slightly, as they were hired for only five, so where on earthland did he get such cash, for someone with such a small magic pressure.

"Why are you willing to pay so much? What days I won't just take the money and then kill you," Ikaruga asked curiously, before she felt annoyed at the smirk that grew on his face, before his hand was enveloped in a flash of light before he threw something at her. She was about to pull out her sword before she decided not to, rather choosing to stick her hand out and catch it with ease, only to be shocked at what she now held in her hand.

It was how Wizard Saint Emblem, but it was just one of those simple medallions, but their personal medallions that granted them their seat at the table, the one that signified their rank in the world... And his had six on it.

Ikaruga quickly took a deep breath in through her nose, before slowly exhaling, remaining calm as she looked at the man who could defeat her with ease, the man that had the power of a dragon, something she wasn't informed of, a lie of omission on Jude's part.

"It seems that my employer forgot a few details..." Ikaruga said with a sigh as she threw the medallion back to him, moving so fast it didn't appear as if she moved at all, her arms still held in front of her, her right-hand itching towards the hilt of her sword.

"So we're at an impasse, I don't want to fight you, and you can't beat me," Natsu said as he easily caught his medallion without taking his eyes off the dangerous woman in front of him, her speed being greater than ever Jet or Gajeel's, which was a testament to how good she was as with a sword.

She glared at him for his statement before sighing, knowing that Fukuro was already unconscious from the explosion earlier and that Vidaldus would be utterly useless against a male, that uses fire like Natsu does.

"Do not take me lightly, however, I must ask, why are you willing to spend so much money? For what? Is she your girlfriend?" Ikaruga asked innocently while Natsu's face too was enveloped in a huge blush, radiating so much heat she could feel it ten feet away.

"N-no! She's my guildmate and my friend. I can't sit back and watch as she's forced into a marriage she has no desire to take part of." Natsu said with a sitter making Ikaruga sigh, even if his reaction was adorable.

"So you want her to be your girlfriend?" Ikaruga asked in counter, making Natsu's face get so red it actually lit on fire, making the stoic and calm swordswoman actually laugh aloud as she watched him hide his face in his hands.

"No! Gah! Can a guy not care about someone without any ulterior motives or desires!" Natsu ranted as he stared at the sky, ignoring the confusing voice in his head. **'But you wouldn't mind would you, to taste her innocence and revel in her-** " the voice said only to be cut off by a confused, and embarrassed beyond belief.

'No! I'm with Mira! And who the hell are you!?" Natsu shouted internally, having enough experience with telepathy not to scream everything out loud. But he also knew nobody able to access his mind either.

Ikaruga simply quirked a brow as she watched the man's eyes shoot open in shock, making his dark onyx eves even more prominent as she thought over his statement, confused as no man would pay that much for just a friend.

" **I'm very disappointed,"** the voice said before going away, confusing Natsu beyond belief as to what the hell was going on, and why were they disappointed? He was very in love and happy with Mira, and he couldn't wait to see her reaction when he tell's her-

"I'll take the ten million and leave you and your friends alone," Ikaruga said, breaking Natsu out of his thoughts as he stared at her in shock, confused as to why she didn't take the higher sum he offered.

"But-" Natsu began, confused as to why she didn't accept the twenty million.

"No, our current contract is void due to them somehow forgetting to inform us of such a foe. Therefore I will accept the payoff." Ikaruga explained as she confidently walked forward, her hand still resting on her sword as she stopped not even two feet in front of him, as he looked down at her.

She held her hand out, waiting for him to give her the jewels he owed her, before he threw his hand forward, confusing it as a handshake as he pulled her in for a _hug_ of all things, making her eyes shoot open in shock as her arms were held out on either side of the man in shock, before he realized exactly what he was doing, having had finally realized what the emblem on her kimono was, as he jumped back in shock, completely missing the fact that her face was darker than Erza's hair as she stood there, stock still.

"Oh, my Mavis! You're from Death's Head caucus! I just hugged a friggin assassin! Don't kill me!" Natsu said in shock as he dashed forward and fell to his knees in front of her, literally groveling at her at her feet as she slowly pulled her arms towards her chest, a glare clear on her face as she stared down at the wizard saint who literally put himself at her mercy.

Her hand slowly inched towards her sword, before she quickly stabbed the ground, less than a hairs width from his ear as he stared at the ground below him in shock, noticing that the sword was less than a millimetre away from decapitating his _dragon_.

"Twenty million," Ikaruga said with a glare as Natsu laughed skittishly before he shot back to his feet, his hand enveloped in a flash before it was revealed, holding a large bag of jewels.

"I only have ten million here, so you're going to have to stop by Magnolia later, or we meet up at some point to give you the rest of the money," Natsu said honestly, refusing to use the money given to him by the council, for the others from the Deliora extermination.

She continued to glare at him, making him feel nervous, even breaking out in a cold sweat, before she sighed, making him stop panicking and look at her carefully before he took a step forward.

"Hey, you okay?" Natsu asked, making her look at him confused, utterly befuddled as to why he seems to care so much about everyone around him, even his enemies, people that can kill him...

"No, that's alright. But the next time we meet, you're going to die," Ikaruga said through gritted teeth as she took the bag of cash out of his hand before hiding placing it in her bosom, making him watch in shock, because of number one, her chest seemed ready to pop out already, as is. And number two, her clothes didn't shift at all as the money disappeared from sight.

She then turned around, pulling her sword out of the ground before slicing in the air, seeming cutting through the fabric of space and time as a black, and purple swirling voided was revealed before she carefully stepped in.

"Wait! What's your name!" Natsu yelled! Wanting to remember the one person he did not wantto see again for the sake of his health, before he turned her head, her eye catching his as the void closed, with her never having answered his question.

"Oh, umm, alright. That, was bizarre," Natsu said as he shook his head, before slapping his face gently, trying to get back on track as he rolled his shoulders, looking around before closing his eyes, and trying to locate Lucy. ' **You're a disgrace,'** The voice said, before disappearing without letting him get out a rebuttal before he sighed, almost agreeing with the voice, as he attempted to focus.

He even closed his eyes, as he struggled to find any trace of her magical presence, before he noticed _his._ Jose's magic presence stood out like a flare in a dark cave, visible to anyone who cared to look into the dark. Sure he was controlling some of it, but just enough so that nobody would feel sick, and nothing would break in his wake. And the worst part, was that he was full in magic.

And sure, the explosion from bird-mans jet pack gave him a little pick me up, but he was nowhere near his comfort zone when fighting an opponent like Jose. 'Maybe I should have paid her to help me fight Jose... But given her unwillingness to fight me... She probably would have fought me anyways, Natsu thought with a sigh as he began to walk towards the fence, holding his hand out just an inch from the bar and closing his eyes, checking for any magical detection system before sighing once more, making him look like a depressed man who lost his girlfriend.

'of course,' Natsu thought with a sigh as he pulled his hand back, smart enough to realize that even if he removed the detection system, they would still be wary of his approach, and waiting.

He rolled his eyes as he began to run back towards the front gate, aware that he was revealing his presence, but he could only hope he would be able to sneak on a transport, rather than simply walk in.

And he was right, he could hear a magic mobile nearing the entrance of the gate, making the man smirk as he disappeared in a flash of fire, shooting through the woods as he snuck under the carriage of the vehicle, and dimming the flames of the fire, hiding him from sight as he heard the vehicle be cleared through.

And the vehicle drove through the gates. He waited until he heard them begin to talk before he shot out from under the vehicle towards the gate, moving so fast the simple workers couldn't comprehend the speed he was moving at and therefore granting him a fools invisibility.

He continued to move, following Jose's magical presence like a moth to a flame, taking advantage of the man's arrogance.

He reverted back to his natural form an inch away from the manors wall, under a large window, which leads to the room containing the Master of Phantoms. 'I can't just climb in there while he's inside... I need to draw him away...' Natsu thought as he struggled to think of a way that would allow him to flee with Lucy without conflict.

But there was none, from this distance even, Jose should be able to sense his dampened presence. 'And I don't like my odds of winning this fight either, especially with so many people around...' Natsu though, struggling to find a solution to his predicament, especially because I'd any one of these guests got injured, they have enough power to cripple Fairy Tail until they disbanded.

"Fuck it, every minute I waste, is another until Lucy loses her freedom,' Natsu thought with a terrifying look on his face as he turned to flame, and shot up the downspout, easily shooting up the building unseen as he stopped on the roof, standing on the large building as his dragon eyes searched the land, realizing that he had more time than he thought.

'Of course! Weddings take time to set up... But I need a way to find a way to get in unnoticed,' Natsu thought as he completely ignored the hundreds of workers, cleaners, and servers running around to set up the wedding.

Until he finally donned upon the most obvious disguise he could use... After five minutes. 'Of course! I should dress up as one of the server's down there, Natsu said as he crouched as he approached the edge of the roof, searching to see if he could find a stray until he found one.

There was a man hiding behind one of the walls, taking a smoke break, making a smirk grow on the Saints face as he disappeared, before grabbing the smoker in a chokehold, applying enough pressure that the man was not injured, as he flailed a bit before finally falling unconscious.

And Natsu got to work, Requipping his armor off and putting the serving clothes on, and just as he was about to leave the man laying there naked, he looked back before sighing, and Requipping a random bundle of clothes, before running off to join the cleaners as they rushed to set the tables.

Natsu was now wearing a simple white pleated dress shirt, with a ruby red tie, a black vest, and simple black slacks as he ran to help the other servers, who looked at him weird for a second before they shrugged, just glad for the extra help.

They were, however, disappointed once again when he ran past them, slowing to a walk as he entered the manor, not even taking the time to examine the exquisite interior as he slowly walked through the halls, before attempting to find his way towards Lucy and Jose.

"Hey! You! Come here, I don't recognize you," A young feminine voice called out, making Natsu bit his tongue as he took a deep breath before turning around, running his hand through his hair as his eyes fell upon the small figure of a surprisingly attractive woman attempting to run towards him on her heels, before she slipped.

She had long brunette hair tied into a low ponytail, with bangs reaching her jaw framing her face. She had simply black framed glasses on, that almost his her thing brow eyebrows, while accentuating her stormy Gray eyes. She had a dull red lipstick on, and little to no makeup, leaving her alabaster cheeks blank.

She had a suit and skirt combo, all made out of the same navy blue material, that matched her two-inch high heels. She had a pearly white dress shirt under the jacket with the first two buttons undone, but in a professional sense, with no cleavage in sight, even though anyone could clearly see the hill on her chest.

All in all, she was nothing special, in the weirdest terms. She was normal and didn't stand out, but that didn't stop Natsu from catching her before she hit the ground. One hand on her elbow, and the other on her shoulder as everyone continued to run around.

"You okay?" Natsu asked as he gave her the best smile he had, hoping to make her swoon like so many had before, only to watch in shock as she steadied herself and pushed him off, a small glare on her face as she looked at him before looking down at her clipboard, a frown growing on her face.

"What's your name..." She asked as she began flipping through the pages on the clipboard, making Natsu strain his eyes as he said the first name he read.

"Kenjiro Ihara," Natsu said making the woman narrowed her eyes, before turning back a page, and running her left finger down the list before stopping.

"Oh, here you are, my apologies, I just thought I would have remembered someone with such distinct hair from the meeting this morning, My apologies. Thanks for catching me, my name is Gloria," the woman said as she clutched he clipboard to her chest with her right arm while holding out her left hand.

"Kenjiro..." Natsu said hesitantly as he grabbed her hand before looking around, and stepping forward, not too close to be intimate or rude, but close enough he could speak into her ear.

"May I please talk to you in private, I have concerns about the... Security." Natsu said, saying the first issue that came to mind making her look up at him through her glasses before sighing.

"Honestly? Me too, especially after they found that crater near the front gates, come this way, any and all help is appreciated," Gloria said honestly as she leads him through the dining room into a side room, revealing it to be a small storage room.

The minutes the door was closed Natsu's entire body was enveloped in a flash of light, making Gloria cover her eyes with her left hand before it died down, revealing Natsu back in his armor.

"I lied, and I'm sorry, but I don't agree with the wedding, please hear me out!" Natsu whisper yelled as he ran forward, covering her mouth so that she couldn't speak as he stared into her eyes, waiting for her to give consent in the form of a nod, prompting him to pull his hand back.

"My name isn't Kenpiro Jikara or whatever... I'm Natsu Dragneel, the sixth Wizard Saint and SS Class mage of Fairy Tail, and I'm here to get my friend back," Natsu said as he pulled the coat back, pushing his shoulder out and revealing the Fairy Tail Emblem on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry but I can't lose my-" Gloria began she her hand moved towards her pocket, making Natsu panic as he ran reached forward, becoming a blur as held her arms in place.

"What if I were to pay you?" Natsu said making her sigh as she stood there, not even trying to struggle.

"I'm sorry, but I can't betray Mr. Heartfilia's trust like that, I need his connections to pay for my friend's medical treatments," Gloria said with a sigh as she looked Natsu in the eye making his eyes glint as he found a way to gain her help, and trust. As he knew some of the best doctors in Fiore, including himself if you ignore his lack of pure knowledge.

"What if I were to heal your friend? Would you help me?" Natsu said making her eyes widen in shock as she nodded her head, having had already recognized him as the man he said to be and taking his word at face value.

"Alright, what do you need," Gloria said, her voice shaking as she grew excited, glad that her best friend may not die, after all, suffering from a mysterious illness that required drugs that were not commercially available. And she only got her friend into the medical trials because of Jude's connections... and by losing four months of pay.

* * *

And onto the Reviews

ridix-32/10- I always listen to everyone's opinion, because all of you are part of the target audience, and as such it is my job to please. Galuna Island was a learning curve for me in a sense. It was the first arc I wrote on my own, Eisenwald having been Korusaki's work with a little editing. If we were to be one hundred percent real, Phantom could be just as long, just with longer chapters, thus making it feel shorter. I'm just trying to put my own spin on this universe, based off of the stepping stones that Korusaki provided. I put more detail on the first appearance, so I don't have to later. If you have to google the person, then I'm not doing my job, but I will try to condense it a bit. And if anything, just like last summer, I would put the story on hold for a bit, just tile school gets slow and then pick it back up again.

Natsuharemfan-36/13- I am a firm believer that conflict isn't the resolution to everything. I'm a rational, cold logic type of person, so I don't really view fighting as the be all end all, and thus wanted to project my own morals into this story, and maybe influence people. About the adamantine metal... I remembered that Sting and Rogue's drive's had their own little quirks or enhancements that boosted their abilities, and thus wanted to give that to Gajeel. I have a few other metal's in mind, just one or two, that will expand his capabilities tenfold in the future. And as for Natsu's darkness, I'm not quite sure just how far I can go with that, but, I find planning things only makes writing harder, ironically, so, we'll see.

* * *

Little FYI. Next week's chapter isn't going to be quite as long due to finals and studying, sorry, but I have to focus on something that will actually aid me in real life, as I doubt this story will have any true impact later on, rather than marks at school... Head over to my profile for a poll on END and darkness in general.

And as always, this endnote will be removed in about a week or so, or when I update next! Thanks for reading and please, have a safe and Merry Christmas! Use Protection!


	38. A Twist in the Road

And Onto the Story!

 **Erza's PoV**

"So, what's the plan exactly?" Gray asked as he lounged back in the private train cart they were sitting in, having had been given a tank top from Erza, otherwise, he would have been kicked out of the train station for public indecency. Erza had paid for their room while Cana had arranged for them to get some food delivered to their cart.

And so here they were, sitting in a silent train cart as they all stared out the window, feeling anxious as they sat there, not knowing where Lucy was, where Natsu was, and what the Hell was going on.

"Given how much pull people like Mr. Heartfilia and Mr. Junelle have on society, we have to be diplomatic and careful. That includes nocking and talking things out, so that we don't end up causing any backlash on Fairy Tail," Erza said with a sigh, making everyone realize that they may not be able to get Lucy back at all, because otherwise, this could be the end of Fairy Tail, or at least as they know it.

The council has been trying to shut down Fairy Tail for the past few years, because of their lack of rule following and tendency to go overboard. However, their standing and hold in the magical council, and the magic world itself, and add to the fact they have done nothing too far to warrant such acts. But, to interfere with a legal marriage between such important, and powerful people could finally be the tipping point that forced their guild into submission.

"Then what is Natsu doing?" Cana asked curiously as she grabbed a bottle of beer off their cart before swiping the cap off the bottle with the edge of one of her magic cards, before taking a sip, making Erza quirk her brow as usually, Cana would have already finished chugging the whole bottle, and been on the second one by now. 'I have noticed that Cana has been acting... different lately, but it's not bad. She's more responsible and drinks a lot less. Sure she still drinks, but...' Erza thought offhandedly as she looked out the window again, feeling even more worried since they were still about a twenty minutes away from Heartfilia's manor.

"Yeah... The flame brain doesn't really seem to be good at being covert. He ends up exploding more..." Gray said with a chuckle as he stretched his arms back behind his head, before crossing his arms behind his head before slouching further in his seat as if he were preparing himself for a nap, while Erza sighed, simply glad that the two mages were no longer at the other's neck.

"You know, what actually happened on that mission? it's like everything has changed," Cana said as she took a sip of beer, her alcohol tolerance so high it was like sipping water, and not the strongest beer the train had, after having checked her ID twice and given her a few brochures and a ten minute talk on the side effects of such a strong substance in her system, while she sat through the talk with a smirk on her face and a bill in her hand.

"Honestly, it has. Natsu is almost the exact opposite of what we thought... Other than the fact he _is_ a flame brained idiot," Gray said with a smirk towards the buxom brunette that made her smirk back, reminding her of when she talked with Natsu about her father, having had stumbled upon a similar conclusion that they did.

"Honestly? It seemed like you hated the guy, could killing a demon really change that?" Cana asked, half astonished and half amused as to what his response would be while Erza simply sat back, not wanting to intrude on the moment, especially since even though she was there, she didn't see half of what Gray did.

"I didn't think so either... But, you weren't there... You didn't see the look in his eyes when he sat there on his knees, waiting for the ax to cut off his head... it was life-changing. A man I fought at any chance and berated like they were a runt... looked me in the eyes, as he was about to die... And for me." Gray said with a sigh as he looked out the window, unable to forget the look on Natsu's face as the ax came down, and the lack of hate as he locked eyes with the ice mage.

"Really? So now you're all buddy-buddy now?" Cana asked rhetorically as she took another sip, making Erza realize that she had barely even consumed half the bottle of beer, confusing her since she had no idea what had changed, overnight and she had no idea why.

"Oh Hell No! He's still a flame brained idiot, but, at least he's not a complete ass hole," Gray said with a chuckle as he stood up and walking over to the cart, grabbing a much more reasonable beer before removing the cap just as he did on Galuna, covering his teeth in ice as he practically bit it off, making Cana nod her head in approvement, almost wishing she could do a trick like that herself.

"Yeah, you can say that again..." Cana said in agreement as she remembered the night Natsu helped her, and opened her eyes to a whole new set of ideas while easing her worries about never being accepted by her true father, making Erza quirk her brow, getting the idea that Natsu does a lot more behind the scenes than maybe they all realized, even if she completely agreed with both their statements.

That was until they both heard, and saw the explosion right outside of the gates as they rode by, making Erza sigh, Cana facepalm, while Gray openly erupted in laughter as they heard the brake get put on the train as they heard the attendant get on the mic, asking for people to remain calm as they safely pulled into the station.

"I take everything back! He's a frickin idiot! A stupid freaking idiot,!" Gray yelled as he slammed the back of his head into the head ready behind him while Cana began to laugh, her voice sounding melodious and beautiful as Erza sighed.

"We're screwed..." Erza muttered under her breath making Cana quirk a brow, knowing the almighty stoic knight would have never used such vulgar and inappropriate language in front of others. 'Nayau really is something special... He was able to change all of them for the better,' she noticed, before jumping in her seat, hearing an alarm blasting in her ear as she turned to Gray in shock, annoyed to see him struggling to pull his shirt back on.

'well... Almost,' Cana thought with a sigh as she tipped her bottle up, taking a nice long swig as they pulled into the station.

 **Gloria's PoV**

 **"** Do you know where Lucy is being held?" Natsu asked making her tilt her head confused until her eyes shot open as she began to go through the pages on her clipboard with a youthful vigor, until she stopped on a single page, slamming her finger upon the board with no care of her nails at all.

"There! She's being held, right there!" Gloria whisper yelled as Natsu quickly appeared by her side, looking over he shoulder as he looked down at the clipboard with an intensity Gloria wasn't aware he had, as she began to feel slightly uncomfortable with his proximity.

"Alright, and is someone with her?" Natsu asked as he quickly took a step back, making Gloria let out a sigh as she held her clipboard to her chest, ignoring how his heat of all things, made her feel flustered.

"I think there's a man with her..." Gloria pondered aloud as Natsu himself sighed, having had expected as much, even if he didn't want it.

"Do they have dark purple hair? Cruel, mean features? A strong but imposing magical presence? A stupid witch hat?" Natsu listed off, remembering the first time he met the older man, when he was being evaluated to join the saints, and remembering the man's scowl that was always on his back.

"Yep! That's him! What's the plan, boss?" Gloria said as she looked at him, making Natsu smirk at her happy nature, making him think she would fit right into their guild,

"Boss?" Natsu said with a quirked brow as he closed his eyes, "Might wanna turn away for a sec," Natsu said as his body was enveloped in a flash of white, revealing him to be in the servants uniform from before while Gloria smirked, easily picking up on the hint as she motioned for him to carry something large, and heavy, before turning around and opening the door, before leading the way down the hall towards where the blonde was being held.

"Okay, here's the plan," Natsu said as he walked but a step behind Gloria, his entire front being hidden by the boxes he was carrying as he followed her with ease, his dragon senses being able to completely map and avoid any and all people in the bumbling halls.

"You're going to tell him that a weird rainy girl and a haired man arrived at the front, and say that they want to talk to him," Natsu said as he clenched his eyes, feeling uncomfortable of Juvia in such a way while Gloria nodded, giving out the off-handed command and order to the people run into around as they got closer and closer to Lucy's room, and to Jose.

"Okay, take that to the ballroom please!" Gloria said with a wink as Natsu began to walk down the hall just to the right of Lucy's room, as he struggled to hide his entire magical presence, almost wishing he had his magic currently suppressed by rune.

*Knock, knock, knock*

Gloria stood outside the door, her face now a little fearful as she waited for the man to open the door, prepared to do anything to save her friend as she clenched the clipboard to her chest.

She patiently waited for about a minute or so before the door was slowly, and eerily opened, revealing the creepy purple hair d man standing behind the door, the man's magical presence so close making her almost want to vomit as he used it to intimidate her. But he was not wearing a stupid hat.

"I am currently busy... What do you want?" Jose asked with a dark gravelly voice as he stood there in what almost looked like a blue and gold General's uniform, the only emblem being the wizard Saint pendant on the man's left lapel making Gloria gulp as she looked him in the eyes.

"Sir, there are two mages in the front lobby waiting for you, it seemed urgent especially because they're injured," Gloria said, showing fear to Jose's magic as his eyes narrowed, before sighing as he looked back in the room, before stepping outside the door and gesturing for her to lead him to them, angry, and confused as to why they were here, but hoping that they were reporting of the Salamander's demise.

And so she began to lead him down the hall, now realizing just how fucked she would be if they ended up in the lobby, with no mages present, fearing his wrath, as she began to almost regret helping Natsu, even if it was the right thing to do.

And not even forty seconds after leaving the room, they heard glass break.

Jose quickly turned around, seeming to stand there for a few seconds, before disappearing entirely, revealing that prolonged presence to be an after image as he no doubt chased after the Fire Dragon Slayer, making Gloria look on, worried that she may have in fact done the wrong thing, worried that their upcoming fight would then lead to the death of some of the servants, or guests.

 **Jose's PoV**

The Phantom Lord was but a blur, as he dashed and pushed through servants and maids alike, arriving in front of Lucy's door in under a second as the sheer force of his movement created a gale so great that it broke the door right off its hinges, revealing an empty, pink and fluffy room covered in dolls and pillows, with broken glass on the floor in front of the window.

But Lucy was not there, and Jose was too quick to realize why.

"Salamander!" Jose practically roared as his magic exploded off of him in waves, purple, sickening waves of magic shot out all around him, tearing through doll, pillow and bladder alike as onlookers practically pissed themselves before passing out, the sheer amount of magic coming off the man more than enough to kill someone if they were just a bit closer.

The exploding, swirling magic stopped before it tore through the walls, causing only cosmetic damage to the Heartfilia Manor as it flowed back, beginning to swirl around his body and hiding him from a certain brunette as they watched in a mixture of fear and worry.

And then the magic began to take shape, covering his body in a sort of armor as it formed a cloak, and scythe, becoming even more detailed as the seconds went by.

And then the transformation was complete, and Jose had become the Grim Reaper himself; Thanatos, as he shot out of the window, this time breaking the seal and frame around it as he shot out of the room before any of them could really comprehend the finished transformation as he shot after the slayer.

Gloria however, was quick you're over, quickly asking three people to enter and repair the room, until she had to yell at them to break them out of their shock, as they hesitantly entered the room, cleaning all of the torn cloth and stuffing, while someone began to fix the window.

 **Natsu's PoV**

'Come on!' Natsu thought as he pushed as much magic as possible into his flaming steps, making him move as fast as possible, while carrying the unconscious Lucy with him, his senses searching for any sign of Jose's approach, as he flew as fast as he could towards Magnolia before he felt it.

Jose's magic and rage shot out, like a lantern in the dark making Natsu curse, as he turned around, heading towards the grassy Noles and quiet hills of the Heartfilia Estate, just glad that it wasn't developed or populated, outside of a workers house about a kilometer away from the manor as Natsu get as far away from civilization as possible, feeling Jose begin to shoot towards him.

'Fuuck... Why did I think it would be a great idea to leave them behind?' Natsu thought rhetorically as he stopped by the guest house and slipping through an open door, before quickly dropping out of the spell and burning Jose's magical circle off of her shoulder, before he cuffed her with magic restraining cuffs, before disappearing again, all within a span of ten seconds, an act made in the hope it would protect his blonde, nieve friend from the Phantom Lord.

Jose was much closer by now, all but maybe two hundred metres away as Natsu sighed, hoping they were far enough away, now being almost seven miles away from the manor as Natsu stood on the top of a hill, watching with worry as Jose's form continued to shoot towards the fire user, making them curse as they fell to their knees, slamming his hands upon the ground as he cratered the hill, forcing Jose to shoot by his now lowered body, rather than slamming right into his.

'Fuck is he mad... And I'm just barely above maybe eighty percent of my magic... Let's just hope I don't have to use dragon force...' Natsu thought with a sigh as his hands were enveloped in a flash of light, revealing his hands to be covered by red leather and a silver medal, looking similar to his Dragon Armor gauntlets, but this time more battle oriented, looking so similar to Igneel own claws as he stood inside the crater he created, as he prepared to fight Jose, knowing he could very easily lose if he made even one mistake.

"No! You've ruined everything! How are you even still alive!" Jose bellowed as he appeared out of nowhere, almost startling the sakura haired man as he quickly brought his hands in front of his face, blocking a slash from the Phantom's scythe as they were locked in battle.

"Oh please, half of those S-Class mages of yours are weaker than Fairy Tail's A-Class," Natsu said confidently as he disappeared from sight, hoping that Jose's momentum would carry him forward, when in fact he carried it over, forcing his body to spin on point as he raised his scythe, catching the Dragon Slayers flaming fist on the shaft.

'I've only ever seen Laxus move that fast, but he was in his lightning body... What the hell is that form doing to him?' Natsu thought, shocked as he was beginning to get pushed back before flashing away again, appearing behind the phantom again, but this time almost ten metres away floating in the air, putting all of his magic into his flaming steps, rather than his actual attacks as it became almost a snort range teleportation spell as he burnt through his magic.

"Hellfire Dragons Roar!" Natsu yelled as he attacked without build up, surprising the Phantom Lord who was caught in a sticky situation, as he had predicted Natsu's next location and had rushed for combat, and was caught in a pillar of blackish red flames that began to tear through his phantom form thingy.

"What?! No! What are these flames!" Jose bellowed as more magic exploded off of him, pushing forward so much that it began to push the hellfire roar back, allowing Jose to get out of the way, moving as fast as possible as the Phantom Lord raised his scythe above his head, intending to decapitate the slayer.

'Good, it worked... At least he has less magic now... But I can't put off a lot of hits like that or I'll run out of magic myself...' Natsu thought as he raised his gauntleted fists above his head, catching Jose's scythe in his hands, even though the force was enough to remove what very little flight he was experiencing, sending him tumbling to the ground like a meteor, causing dirt and sod to fly into the air on impact.

"Dead Wave!" Jose cried out as a large, purple ghoulish magic circle formed in front of his phantom body, growing to seven meters in diameter in under three seconds, before a spiraling torrent of ghosts began to swirl around the magic circle as he built up the blast.

And by the fifth second, a huge, twelve meter in diameter ball of pure darkness magic shot out, the speed only enhanced by the ghouls and ghosts pushing it forward, as it shot towards the ground where Natsu was last seen.

The ball impacted the ground before the dust could even settle, the ghouls behind it directing it towards Natsu, and when the ball impacted the ground, it literally split the ground in two as the explosion of darkness magic shot out for dozens of feet, exactly like an earthquake as earth lands tectonic plates themselves suffered Jose's wrath, sending shockwaves around the area as trees fell and building shook, threatening to collapse.

But then the light was seen as fire shot out of the dark, heading towards Jose like a missile shot out of a canon as a silhouette of Natsu's body could be seen within the bright orange flames as the slayer's fist impacted the phantoms stomach.

"Fire Dragons Claw!" Natsu growled out as his anger skyrocketed at the careless endangerment of Lucy, his ears having had heard the frame of the house itself shake and squeal as it threatened to snap. His anger made his magic skyrocket, but by power, not output.

He swung his foot around, catching Jose's waist before the man had a chance to block, making Jose's body bend unnaturally as Natsu kept his hand in Jose's abdomen, holding the phantom by his cloak as he kicked, bending the man sideways as he was shot to the side.

But the fire around Natsu's body did not die down, revealing the man to be in his fire drive as he shot after the phantom, who shot into the side of a mountain that was near the northern part of the Heartfilia estate, actually causing an avalanche to rain down, over the hole Jose's body created in the rock formation.

"Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!" Natsu cried out as the fire crawled down his arms in almost an instant, creating whips in his hand as he brought them over his head, sending the large, long whips slashing downwards, and actually cutting through the rock of the mountain itself, before getting caught.

Natsu pulled with his arms, his whips staying still as he propelled himself even faster towards Jose's body, hitting Mach force as fire shot out of his feet as he went through the same hole Jose's body created.

"Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" Natsu shouted as he shot through the mountain, the amount of damage done to it actually causing it to collapse in on itself as Natsu shot out the other side, literally burying the Phantom Lord under the mountain as Natsu knelt on the ground, taking a deep breath as he stood back up, staying completely aware as he watched for any movement.

Magic power exploded at the bottom of the collapsed mountain, sending huge, magic mobile sized rocks shooting out everywhere as Jose's eerily glowing body was revealed, standing in the middle of the crater where a mountain once stood.

The Saint's shoulders were shaking as the man stared at the ground, his jacket torn, revealing his slightly hairy pecs, showing that his hair was naturally purple.

"Fire Dragon's Rampage!" Natsu bellowed as he slammed his fist into the ground, causing a tidal wave of blistering orange fire to shoot towards the flying rocks, melting them into lava, and protecting the roof that was currently over Lucy's head, without revealing her location.

The two mages looked at each other, Jose's a dark, void black and Natsu's a literally burning orange as they stared at eachother, before disappearing.

They met in the middle, their fists slamming into eachother as shockwaves were sent off, tearing through the burnt, ashy ground that was once so well manicured.

They continued to trade blows at a speed not even Gajeel could process as their bodies became blurs, shooting around the area as they traded kicks and punches, as they utterly ruined the ground upon which they stood.

"Why won't you just die!" Jose bellowed, his rage fuelling his anger as he finally landed a hit, having had done a haymaker as a feint before landing a knee into Natsu's gut, Jose's experience surpassing the young Saints as he then landed a right hook upon Natsu's jaw, sending the man shooting into the ground, creating air rings as he disappeared into the ruined earth.

But this time Natsu didn't lay down, immediately shooting right back out of the hole, but this time without his fire drive, rather as his arms and face were covered in layers of scales, his hands now dragons claws as he shot up towards Jose.

"Dark Pulse!" Jose shouted as he waved his arms in an arc in front of himself, sending a slash of dark magic over a meter in width towards the rocketing Natsu, who simply let his fists on fire as he shot towards the wave of dark magic.

The two forces clashed, as they were locked in a power struggle, Natsu's pure force and strength against Jose's dark magic as they fought for a reprieve, but Jose was not about to wait for Natsu to breakthrough his dark pulse.

A large magic circle formed in front of his body, as one by one shade's began to shoot out, before flying towards the dark pulse, strengthening it and pushing it forward as Shades began to form non stop, while Jose looked down at Natsu, a malicious smile on his face as he watched the man begin to get pushed back.

"HellFire Dragons Mass Detonation!" Natsu roared as hellfire flames exposed off his body, the slayer no longer pushing forward as hellfire flames exploded in a three hundred and sixty-degree radius, literally vaporizing everything as Jose stared in shock, as his shades began to be removed from existence, the magic itself burned and sent to hell.

They stood there for a second, their eyes meeting and their anger peaking as they both heaved, tired but not exhausted, and nowhere near beaten.

"Why are you doing this?! You CAN lose your guild? Your rank and your mage license... Why?!" Natsu yelled as he shot towards Jose once more, his rage now slightly subsided as his curiosity came forward, as they were locked in combat for what seemed the millionth time that day.

"Phantom Lord used to be renown across Fiore as the strongest guild," the older man raged as he blocked Natsu's right cross with his left hand, before going with a right jab and a left knee, both of which were blocked.

"And then Fairy Tail began to rise up, with more and more mages joining that merry band of Yahoo's it began to climb the ranks," Jose explained, angering Natsu further because this man truly started this whole fight because of his arrogance and ego, as he threw a left jab and a right uppercut, both of them seeming to be equal in hand to hand combat as neither had landed a hit.

"And then Fairy Tail became the second strongest, but those Flies didn't stop growing. And all the work I had put in to become the best was for naught!" Jose yelled, his magic beginning to influence his sanity as he began to laugh maniacally while blocking all of Natsu's hits.

"And now what?! People are hurt, all for what, a title?!" Natsu yelled as his punches began to gain even more speed, making the Phantom Lord's eyes widen as he struggled to block the flurry of Jabs hooks and crosses, now holding his arms in front of his chest, and protecting his vitals rather than tiring himself to block every single hit.

"But you! You are the bane of my existence!" Jose yelled as he grew tired of being a punching bag, his shade magic exploding out of him as dozens of ghouls swarmed the Fire dragon slayer, wrapping around his entire body as they struggled to restrain the man, giving Jose enough time to build up his magic before they were all burned off.

"But no longer! Open the Gates of Hell, Rise from the Abyss! Skull of death!" Jose shrieked, his eyes glowing as a magic circle grew in front of the man's face, before another, and another. For each sentence he spoke, the respective magic circle glowed, and by the last a large, black and purple glowing skull shot out of the furthest magic circle, shooting towards Natsu imbued with actual death magic, making his eyes shoot open in shock as his hellfire flames finished burning the ghouls restraining him.

"Hellfire Dragon Slayers Secret Art; Purging of the Damned!" Natsu yelled as a large, seven foot in diameter magic circle formed within an instant, and outshot something so magnificent even Jose's eyes widened.

A large, eleven-meter long dragon comprised of fire shot out of the circle, flapping his twenty-foot span wings as it slammed into the skull of death just two feet away from Natsu and saving his life. And the two spells were locked in combat as both sides watched, anxious to see who would win.

The bright glowing dragon fought, as it pushed its shoulder against the large skull, the faint outline of a black body visible within the hellfire flames as its wings continued to flap, while Jose grit his teeth, noticing the skull was beginning to be pushed back.

Wordlessly, another magic circle appeared in front of the Phantom Lord, this time a simple circle only maybe two feet in diameter as one by one, ghouls and shades would fly out, shooting towards the skull in a manner that would make them appear drunk, as they began to aid it's force, pushing back against the fire dragon.

Natsu stared at the clash of magic before him, knowing that now he had more than enough chance to evade the attack, but this death magic would be running rampant with people only a few miles away.

'I can't just let that spell go... And I don't know if I can burn through death magic... And If I push that back into Jose... He dies...' Natsu struggled, before deciding to go with instinct. 'Time for something stupid, something crazy!' Natsu thought, a smile appearing on his face as he shot towards the dragon, fire shooting out of his own body as it protected him in a layer hellfire magic. He shot under the dragon, plummeting towards the ground, before doing a complete one-eighty, shooting up into the skull of death magic while Jose watched in glee, a malicious smiled on his face as he waited.

"HellFire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu yelled with his hands in front of his mouth as he stood at approximately twenty feet in the air, which was still at least eight feet below the skull itself. A huge, torrent of flames larger than anything he had ever done before shot out of his mouth, sending a pillar of fire over ten feet wide shooting towards the skull, the force, and updraft caused by all the fire and heat sending it shooting into the air, pushed along by the flames below it.

But the roar did not affect the dragon, as it continued to fly straight through, ignoring the increased amount of shades shooting towards it as they all burned and broke on contact with its fiery body, as it slammed into Jose, a man who was too arrogant to even run from the dragon, and simply crossed his arms over his chest.

A sheet of purple, magenta magic formed in front of Jose right before the dragon impacted it, expecting to see the dragon break on impact, only to watch, shocked as it smashed right through his barrier, into the man... And practically tackled the Phantom Lord, into the ground below.

Natsu cut off the stream of flames once the skull was within the lower stratosphere, as he stood there floating in the air, watching as the skull continued into the sky, ignoring even the sight of Jose being tackled into the ground, the fire dragon making him appear more and more like a meteor as the man fell.

But what the Sakura saint didn't expect, was that once Jose lost concentration of the spell, that it would become unstable. The solid, magic that made up the sky began to lose its form, wiggling like jello on a shaking plate as it continued into the sky.

His eyes widened when he realized what could happen. An explosion of condensed, uncontrolled death magic could be catastrophic even as it passed the clouds. But, it seemed that Jose was a better magician that he realized, as the ball of magic completely left the atmosphere, even as it continued to lose control.

Natsu 'Well would you look at that... If he wanted death... All he would have needed to do would be just lose control,' Natsu thought with a deep exhale as he turned around, turning his head to where Jose had crashed, his eyes widening when he saw what their fight had don't to the land.

What was once lush, rolling hills were now barren and smoldering, with smoke rising and flattened hills, there were even a few craters, with scorch marks everywhere he could see.

'Well, shit... Gramps is going to be pissed... But now is not the time to worry about that.' Natsu thought with a sigh as he began to drop towards the ground, as if he were standing on an invisible plate that had simply disappeared, allowing the man to fall towards the ground, as he simply stood there without moving.

He shot fire out of his feet when he was a few feet above the ground, the force and heat causing an updraft that canceled the speed he had gained through gravity as he gently landed on the ground.

He began to walk towards where Jose had crashed, having had slammed into a large tree, that was no longer standing, or even present at all... All that was left were ashes and smoke as he approached the crater Jose's body created.

But he stopped moving when he heard movement, taking the care not to dispel his dragon force, as he'd rather make sure Jose is defeated before leaving himself open.

But when he was standing on the edge of the crater, he was surprised to see how large it was, most of it being hidden by the smoke. It was about fourteen feet in diameter, and four feet deep... And when Natsu squinted his eyes to search for Jose... He realized-

"Wrath of the Presence!" A battered Jose cried out with his hand held before him, as he stood behind Natsu, having had somehow snuck around the keen Dragon Slayer making the Sakura haired man's eyes widen in shock.

A Wave of deadly, violet and magenta darkness magic infused with a malicious red lightning shot towards Natsu, the speed of the attack increased by the lightning a tenfold, as it slammed into the slayers back, sending him flying across the crater as a very pissed Jose slowly walked behind the man.

"How?! How can you still be my match, after fighting my S-Class Mages! This is preposterous! Aggravating! But no longer! No longer shall we throw punches or weak hits. Use all your magic or die at my feet!" Jose cried out as he crouched before shooting towards Natsu, his ruined, torn jacket and pants revealing his flesh beneath, already showing signs of blistering and scorching on his older, dry skin.

Jose quickly reached Natsu, his hands enveloped in darkness magic, that made Natau almost want to puke by how sickly it felt.

"Black Plague!" Jose roared as he grabbed Natsu by his face, taking advantage of his shock as his magic began to spread all around Natsu's body as a magic circle appeared on the Saints left pectoral, right around where his heart would be.

The black magic spread across Natsu's skin like veins, weaving around his body as it flooded his magic container with darkness magic, something that was practically a polar opposite from fire. But Jose did not use it for this reason. 'Dragonslayers are forbidden to consume another element that is not their own... But now Natsu body is flooded with my magic!' Jose thought sadistically as he tossed the pink haired man into the ground, cratering the earth beneath them as he looked down at the pink haired slayer, feeling quite accomplished since he had about a good fifty percent of his container left as his body slowly lowered to the ground, before he began approaching the pink haired slayer on the ground.

Natsu's body was currently convulsing, his hands grasping and clawing at his chest as if he was in pain as his face was twisted in pain. He was writhing on the ground, his eyes wide in pain as he began to feel his magic container begin to fill with darkness magic, feeling unable to even burn off the magical circle as he saw Jose began to loom over him, a scary grin on his face as he looked down at Dragonslayer, enjoying just how much pain the man was in as practical tonnes of his magical power began to fill Natsu's Magic Container... the grin slowly fading as he began to realize just how large Natsu's magical container is, as he began to realize just how much magic he was losing.

"You know... I'm honestly jealous of you... If I didn't know you had all that power just because you were coddled and carried by Makarov and Gildarts." Jose said with a grin on his face, finding this payback for how much of his hair was burnt off, including his left eyebrow... and part of his left ear was missing. The top cartilage of his left ear was burnt and torn, from the impact on from the fire construct slamming him into the rocky ground beneath him.

Natsu was staring up at Jose, in too much pain to even feel angry at what he was saying, as he began to zone out, Jose's movement becoming blurry as the man kind of paced in front of the catatonic Natsu, who was struggling to even talk as he watched the man with half a head of purple hair rant about... stuff.

'It's getting hard to breathe... I...' Natsu thought as it felt like his chest was on fire, the first time he had ever actually felt a burning sensation since he tried to assimilate the HellFire Flames in an _interesting_ village where he met some _interesting_ characters. Until he remembered who he was fighting for. Flashes of white, scarlet, chocolate brown and golden yellow flashed through his mind. Remembering the past few days, the friendships he made and the journey they had... Until his mind went black, his mouth shooting open in a pained cry as a demonic, broken, high pitched roar echoed through the rolling hills as Jose covered his ears in pain.

 **'Looks like it's my turn to take a spin...'** The voice from earlier began to say making Natsu's eyes shoot open in shock before they began to glow a deep, wine red.

Jose watched on in shock as Natsu's entire body exploded in a blood wine, coloured fire sending Jose flying backwards about ten feet as the ground cracked, the seal dispelling almost instantly the minute the fire exploded out of his body, as even smoke began to billow from his pores, hiding the pink haired man from sight making worry bloom in Jose's chest faster than Natsu rose through the ranks of the wizard saints.

'Shit, Shit, Shit! Where does this... THis CHILD get all this power from?! I'm already at around thirty percent of my magical container... and there was still no signs of his container filling to completion... completely baffling the man as to how this kid had so easily surpassed him, a man who had spent literal decades, training and working, learning and studying as he expanded his magic and skill set, only to be surpassed by _him._

 **"You know... I've been watching this _kid_ , waddle and play out through life... and I learned one thing." **An eery voice said through the smoke, as Natsu's red wine glowing eyes could be seen through the smoke as it began to disperse from the wind and nature of the world, beginning to reveal a very confusing silhouette of what was _not_ Natsu. There were wings, horns, and claws, more like a demon, rather than a Man.

 **"You are kind of a dick... And Natsu? Well, he's an idiot, but... Well, that's about it."** The new voice said, confusing Jose at the new figure standing within the broken, smoldering ground, his talons scraping against the ground as he walked towards the man laying on the ground as if he was trying to do a yoga pose but ended up falling from exhaustion.

Jose stared at this new figure in a mixture of horror and terror, the only similarity this new _thing_ had with Natsu was the pink hair with black tipped locks upon this things head, but his eyes were quickly drawn away by the large, curled horns upon the mans head, looking almost remnant to a bull as they sprouted from his hairline before curving upwards, made completely of an eery black ebony substance, a stark contrast to true ivory.

His right eye was framed by an eery, demonic black tattoo that curled around the right side of his head, looking almost like a tribal marking. his eyes continued to glow that eery wine red, making it look like the demon's eyes were actually made of flames. He had a weird, almost childlike tattoo on his right tricep, with two circular empty eyes, an x for a nose with two tusks joining at the heel.

His arms and legs less humanoid and more demonic, with spikes and thick, maroon and black spotted skin, his hands no longer that of a man, but of a falcons talon, with claws and all, covered in red and black scales, traveling all the way to the topside of his elbow. at the base of his wrist were two long spikes, make out of the same black ivory of his horns, almost like sabers shooting out of his forearm.

His legs were no more the toned and muscular legs draped in tight, tanned skin, that emphasized his hard work and training. They were now completely covered in scales, his knees even opened in the opposite direction, almost resembling that of a demonic, scaly goat, as he stalked towards the man on the ground, wine red fire swirling around his body as he got closer and closer to the man with half a head of hair.

The side of his ribs was completely littered in tribal tattoos, but the one that Jose noticed was the very obvious, and terrifying initials on his right pectoral. 'END'.

* * *

And onto the Reviews.

The poll was a clear winner, 8-3... So here comes the END ;) (pun).

Ridix-37/18- I might add Evergreen, because with Natsu _already_ having the Hellfire flames, the only way Flare could be added in would be if I were to write in a flash back at sunstone or GMG. I read, and reply to everyone's review to the best of my ability. The more effort in a review equals a longer more in depth response.

ALL- I have to admit, I was surprised you all found it just that Natsu had paralyzed Aria, at first it was a spur of the moment idea, but it added a lot of depth. I think?

* * *

Merry christmas to all, or whatever you celebrate, but be safe.


	39. A Cruel Way to Go

And Onto the Story!

The three mages of Fairy Tail stood outside the front gates, frowning as they felt the ground continue to shake, trying their best to ignore the burned crater just to their right, and hoping that nobody got hurt as they watched people run around in a mixture of fear and worry, ignoring the people asking them to calm down, claiming that one of the wizard saints were out there, fighting _for_ them. The only thing was they didn't know _two_ were out there fighting for dominance and friendship, for power and wealth.

And they waited, until a woman with brown hair in a blue suit practically ran to the gate, looking very distressed until she saw the very familiar mages standing at the gate, and feeling a little better as she motioned for the guards to open the gate, as she nervously pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, continuing to clench her clipboard against her gut as she waited for the automated gates to open, her eyes completely trained on the scarlet haired knight, who was looking around nervously, for once not wearing her armor, which was why she did not originally recognize the scarlet haired woman.

"H-Hello! My name is G-Gloria! How ma-" Gloria began, only to be interrupted by Erza who kindly raised her hand, cutting the woman off who nodded her head, fixing her glasses when they slipped, as she stood there quietly.

"Hello Gloria, My name is Erza Scarlet... This is Gray Fullbuster," Erza said as she gestured to her right, "And this is Cana Alberona." Erza said as she gestured to her left, as Cana simply waved with a grin, before raising her beer to her lips before taking a sip, making Gloria nod her head as her intense gaze was focused right on the Titania of Fairy tail, her eyes drifting from her stern face to the blue mark on her shoulder, before it clicked.

"Wait! Are you here for Natsu? He disappeared with the Heiress, and now the saint is chasing after him!" Gloria rambled in less than four seconds making Gray groan and Cana smirk as she took another sip, while Erza simply lowered her head into her hands, until everyone felt the ground shake, as sirens went off, alerting servants and guards to quickly and efficiently began to herd the guests, into the building including a very large gathering of rune knights, that made even Erza's eyes widen in shock.

'Is the King or Princess here? Already?!' Erza thought in shock, and worry as she began to run onto the Heartfilia property with Gray, Cana, and Gloria n tow as they ran towards the smoke that continued to billow into the air as Gloria struggled to keep up, stopping at the altar that was now completely set up and ready but the wedding was now postponed, until they were certain their esteemed guests would not be injured by this crazy, random weather.

"Please! Everyone remain calm. There are three entrances here, please go through single file." One of the guards asked calmly as they continued to direct international dignitary and wall street businessman alike into the Heartfilia estate, even as their own security personnel swarmed around them. The Fairy Tail Mages including Gloria stared over the cliff that the altar was set upon, watching as an entire platoon of Rune Knights marched towards the battlefield, as flashed of red and purple could be seen even from here, as small black dots swirled around in the air, making all four frown as they saw a huge dragon of fire slam into a purple ball of magic, feeling its ominous presence even from miles away.

Erza slowly narrowed her eyes as her right hand was enveloped in a flash of light, before revealing a zoom lacrima, that she brought up to her face, looking through the looking glass as she saw no sight of Lucy anywhere. All she saw was that Natsu had flown under the merging attacks, before shooting a beam of fire out of his mouth that slammed into the black skull of swirling death, sending it into the sky, while Jose was slammed into the ground by the fire dragon, sending but another plume of smoke into the sky.

"How's it looking out there?" Cana asked as she stuck her hip out, and took a sip of beer, while Gray used his Ice magic, attempting to form a lens as he created a telescope. Gloria simply stood there, her arms beginning to shake as she looked out over the cliff at the battlefield below, even more, worried when she saw a purple force slam one of the black dots into the ground, before the fight began to settle, making her begin to worry that Natsu had lost.

"We need to get out there fast, Natsu was obviously too tired to engage him... I'll go to assist Natsu, Cana, attempt to stall the rune knights, and Gray, please try and find Lucy... She is completely out of her league right here." Erza said with a sigh as she lowered the binoculars away from her head, before they flashed out of existence, as her entire body was enveloped in a flash of light, before reverting and revealing her wearing her _flight Armor_ , while both Fairies nodded their head, all understanding why they were placed where they were, especially since it would allow Erza to go all out, especially if Natsu had worn Jose out enough.

"Bu-ut! What about Natsu! He promised that he would help heal my friend! Especially since Jude fired me since Lucy got away..." Gloria muttered as she looked at her shoes, making Erza sigh as she turned around, placing her hand on the brunette's shoulder.

"And Natsu doesn't break a promise. Fairy Tail has contacts with some of the best healers in Fiore, magical or otherwise. I promise that we will do our best to ensure your friend's health and safety..." Erza said with a small smile on her face before her form blurred, revealing that she was, in fact, an afterimage as a flash could be seen zooming towards Natsu and Jose, making sure to avoid any of the rune Knights attacks and random balls of wine colored flames.

 **Jose's PoV**

 **"Well... I was hoping to have some nice _quality_ time... but it looks like somebody is about to rain on our parade," ** The demonic figure slightly resembling the pink haired saint said as he slowly walked around Jose, who kept his wide eyes trained on the demonic man as he laid there on the ground, his heart in his throat as he watched the demon slam their claws into the ground, making a dome of wine red fire shoot out around them, completely encompassing the two mages in a five hundred metre radius.

 **"But... it looks like we have some privacy after all..."** The demon said as he turned around, a malicious grin on his sharp, angular face as he brought his claws up in front of his body, before slowly walking towards the man laying on the ground, who quickly shook his head before jumping to his feet, his magic beginning to channel around his hands as he stood across from the demon.

"NO! No matter what you are, I am STRONGER THAN YOU! I will not be defeated by the likes of you!" Jose yelled in rage as his mind finally snapped, his fear pushing his psych over the cliff as his eyes opened wider, his cruel disposition becoming manic as shades literally began to waft off of him, circling around him like a horde as they piled in around him, before beginning to merge together as the demon simply stood there, the lack of fear and trepidation on his face as he simply _stood there._

 _"_ **Oh, I would hope not... I hate it when I prey lies down and just _let_ me kill them..." ** The demon said making Jose's eyes widen in anger as his magic shot out around him, dark purple magic imbued with red lightning circling around Jose as it shot into the ceiling, barely even scratching the surface as it simply spread out, across the ceiling of the dome as he simply stood there seething, with his _Shade's Jellyfish Form_ continuing to grow behind Jose, fusing with the magic that swirled around Jose as it took a step forward, completely enveloping the Wizard Saint within the large shade, as red electricity began to channel all throughout the shade jellyfish as its form began to become more defined, as the demon simply stood there, examining their talons.

The shade jellyfish/ Jose mixture stopped growing at the height of one hundred and fifty meters, making the demon yawn into their claws as their magic began to course through their body. The shade jellyfish ended up looking similar to the Grim Reaper form Jose was in earlier, the red lightning coursing through the trim of the cloak, as a vague figure of Jose could be seen under the hood of the cloak, edge and sleeves looking torn and damaged, as if from years of use and battle. From the ripped and torn sleeves of the dark purple cloak, came the bony, skeletal structure of pure ivory bone, the hands empty as the hung from the sleeve, every individual bone in the hand present and distinguished, showing just how much magic Jose had put behind it.

 **"Colour me surprised, it seems you really did have some fight left in you... That just makes this that much more enjoyable..."** The demon proclaimed confidently as they held their arms out in front of them as Jose stared at the demon confused, the man proclaiming to be smarter than Natsu, only to use grammar like _that._

But the phantom deigned the demon no response as its bony hands were lifted into the air, before shooting down towards the demon, who didn't even bother to evade as he simply extended his arm, catching the huge bony fist, that was five times the size of the demon who held it with ease, as they yawned into their other claw.

 **"Oh please... I've fought dragons, demons, and monsters back in the dragon war... This is honestly kind of disappointing..."** The demon said with a self-deprecating sigh as they easily moved their hand to the side as they prepared to deflect the force to the side, only to be left shocked when a discharge of red lightning exploded from the bones in the hand, completely disabling the muscles in the body of the demon as the hand crushed the demon into the ground, sending up a dust cloud as the hand leveled with the ground.

The phantom's hand continued to push the demon into the ground, until its arm began to shake before it began to be pushed back into the air, revealing the demon crushed under the phantoms fist, their legs tensed as they continued to push the phantoms arm up.

 **"You know... I take that back... This is going to be quite exciting,"** The demon said with a smirk as green vines shot out of the ground, curling and knotting around the demons skeletal arms, completely canceling out its forward force as the demon removed its hands, casually walking around the arms, watching in curiosity as the phantoms force only increased tenfold, and within seconds the vines were torn apart as the skeletal hand slammed into the ground once more, this time with nothing stopping it from completely shattering the earth.

 **"You know what? Never mind, I think I'll just stick to my favorite... Using the others just makes this, too easy..."** The demon said as its hands were enveloped in wine red flame, showing little to no exhaustion after having had held the five hundred meter by two hundred and fifty-meter dome for over four minutes, even with people on the outside, continuing to slam into the dome, with magic and steel in an attempt to break it down.

 **Erza's PoV**

"Come on Natsu! Let me in! Don't do this!" Erza shouted as she attempted to control the fire with her Fire Empress Sword, out to find herself surprised when she couldn't even feel the fire at all as if it wasn't there as if it wasn't _from_ magic.

'What the hell is this?' Erza thought in shock as she slammed her sword against the barrier, only to watch in shock as it passed straight through the barrier, until a certain sound, and scent caught her ears and nose respectively.

She quickly looked down to the ground, shocked to see glowing molten metal simply lying on the ground, confusing her since the flames were not giving off nearly enough heat to melt her sword so easily.

She pulled the hilt back, now unsurprised to see that's all the sword was now, just a hilt, with the entire blade now lying on the ground in the form of molten metal, but the flames still gave off no heat.

 **Gray's PoV**

"Hey, Gloria, you wouldn't have happened to see where Natsu took Lucy?" Gray asked hopefully as he stretched his arms up above his head, making his already annoyingly tight tank top rise above his belly button, revealing his lithe, but prominent abs.

"Uh, well, when he first left he flew that way," Gloria got out through her crimson blushing face as she pointed in the direction of Magnolia, making Gray put his hand over his eyes, as he looked in that direction.

"You said first left... Did he change direction?" Gray asked, still as calm and cold as ice itself, his physique making Gloria continue to blush... Not that he was aware of it.

"Yes! Then Jose shot out after him, and he flew by the workers guest house there!" Gloria explained as she pointed towards the house, making Gray squint as he looked in the direction of the guest house, binoculars once again forming in his hands as he adjusted the lenses, before finally coming upon a clear picture.

"Yep, Flame brain definitely took Lucy there, so she wouldn't be near the fight..." Gray said after a few seconds, before handing the binoculars to Gloria. She reached out to grab it but dropped it almost instantly, the cold ice feeling more like dry ice, making Gray sigh as he forgot others were affected by the cold.

"Oh, right, sorry. Wanna just come with me?" Gray said as he began to walk towards the edge, making Gloria watch in fear as he stepped off the edge, only for a step made entirely out of ice to instantly form under his feet, making Gloria look in shock as she rushed towards the edge, looking as before every step he took, a stair appeared below his feet, leading him towards the bottom.

"It's stable!" Gray called over his shoulder to Gloria, making her shake her head as she turned around, not trusting the ice mage simply by how sketchy it seemed, especially since she could see him struggling to form every step, his shoulders clenched and his hands shaking.

"Right... Uh... I'll go around!" Gloria yelled as she looked back to the manor, unwilling, and not wanting to head back inside, and be stuck in a room with tall dark and crazy; Jude Heartfilia. She then began to run, taking the path Cana did as she ran towards the Rune Knights, still being able to take a sip every so often without looking too much like an idiot.

Once Gloria was far enough away Gray sighed, the stairs case shattering under his body as he began to fall towards the decline of the hill, ice covering his whole body, almost exactly like his ice armor as it finished covering his body two seconds before he impacted the ground, making a hole in the hill as shattered ice shot everywhere.

But it wasn't all for naught, as the ice shattering around his body rendered the acceleration he gained falling inert, this dealing no damage to his body.

"How does that flame brained idiot do it... it's so hard to look cool these days," Gray said with a sigh as he began to run down the hill towards the guest house, looking like an Olympic runner as he covered hundreds of meters of ground in minutes.

But he slowed when a flash of red was registered by his eyes, making him stop, his feet digging into the ground when he took in the huge, dome of almost blood red fire shot up in an instant over three miles away, as Erza just barely stopped herself from slamming into it.

"Well Shit, looks like Natsu isn't quite done with him after all?" Gray said to himself, practically questioning as he began to run to Gloria, who was now bent over, panting about six hundred meters away from the guest house.

"You alright? Hope fire doesn't scare you..." Gray said as he stopped beside the fired assistant, showing no signs of exhaustion or fatigue whatsoever as he looked down at the brunette.

"What... Fi-" Gloria began as she started to straighten up, her eyes shooting open in a mixture of fear and shock as she saw the most fire she probably every would in her entire life, her body tensing in fear at the thought of that running rapidly through the grounds.

"What the hell is that?!" Gloria shrieked in shock as she took a step back, looking into Gray's calm blue eyes, and finding some comfort in his calamity.

"That's nothing, flame brain is just... Honestly? I don't really know," Gray explained, his usual cold, dull tone sounding less like an angsty teenager as he looked at the fire some in curiosity.

"Well, come on now, let's go find Lucy," Gray said with a sigh as he crouched in front of Gloria, making her look at him confused, until he gestured with his head for her to get on his back, making her blush as she carefully put one leg over his forearm, and wrapping her arms around his neck as he grabbed her other leg.

"Ready, set, go," Gray said in a dull tone as he ran forward, not quite as fast as earlier, but still making up a lot of time as they blurred towards the guest house.

 **Cana's PoV**

"Hey, boys, how about we have a chat?" Cana asked as the Rune Knights and their commander approached the tree she was perched upon, specifically on a branch.

"I am Commander Lahar, state your name and business!" A bespectacled man said as he walked through the Rune Knight to the front of the pack, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose with his right index finger as he narrowed his eyes at the woman above, who sighed, taking a sip of what appeared to be alcohol before dropping from the tree.

But She was not the only one to appear, as once a card touched the ground, how it got there was still unknown to the commander, a dozen, _very_ attractive women in bikinis similar to that of the woman herself appeared, before they strutted towards the platoon of Knights, and completely, and utterly distracting them from their task at hand.

"S-stop! Ge-et ba-ck!" Lahar, the commander of the Rune Knights yelled nervously as a Latino, black-haired woman strutted towards him, slinging her arms over his shoulders as she began to grind on him, his face erupting into a crimson red as she began to run her hands over his body.

The other Knights weren't doing any better, as they were completely and utterly enticed and distracted by the beautiful women in front of them, even going as far to push others out of the way as they fought for attention.

Cana, simply stood there a huge, amused smile on her face as she watched the Knights scramble to attract a woman in their dull, boring and bland knight uniforms, even bursting out in laughter when two guys began to literally fight over a blonde.

Lahar was only occupied for a few more minutes, before his ears caught the sounds of Cana's glorious laughter ringing in his ears, making him look at the woman, his face now red due to anger, not embarrassed as he realized they had all been duped.

"Stop this! Cut it out! Get away from us! Knights! At attention!" Lahar commanded as he pushed the Latina away from him, the pout on her face practically breaking his heart before he shook his head, snapping himself out of the daze as he stared angrily at brunette before them, his eyes finally catching the Fairy Tail Emblem on her toned midriff, which even displayed the outlines of a defined, but recessed six pack.

But, the commander's voice met deaf ears making him turn around, steam practically coming out of his ears as he reached his breaking point.

"That's ENOUGH!" Lahar bellowed as he walked towards the Knights, pushing the women aside, and throwing apart the brawling Knights, making everyone, even the women look at him in shock, before they disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"All of you will be doing triple the training when we get back. Do You Understand ME!" Lahar yelled as he looked at his troops before turning around, a dangerous scowl his only visage as he stormed towards the woman, and tearing the bottle straight out of her hands and throwing it on the ground as he walked up to her face.

"What's your game?" Lahar growled as he looked her in the eyes, her laid-back response only infuriating him further as his troops stood behind them, nervous from all the magic being thrown around, and lack of as well.

"Me? Nah... I have no game," Cana said with a fake innocent look on her face as she gestured to herself before shaking her head, ignoring what was going on behind her as she held the captain's gaze.

"You will grant me passage, by the orders of Gran Doma and even the king himself! This war must be stopped!" Lahar growled as he inched even further, hoping to scare the woman into submission, only to watch in dismay as she too, inched forward.

"No can do cap-i-tan... Natsu's on the case!" Cana exclaims almost childishly as she threw her hands in the air, purposely distracting, and annoying the Rune Knights, as per her orders.

"Oh really? Natsu was sent down, to stop the fighting on _both sides!_ obviously, he's not capa-" Lahar began, only to get slapped in the face by Cana, the sound ringing through the flat area, making even the Knights behind him cringe as the man was forced to one knee by the sheer force of the blow.

"Don't you dare. Natsu has done exactly what he was told. But what you _didn't know_ , was phantoms attempted murder of Makarov, the fifth, and kidnapping of our guildmates, including Lucy! He disabled their mages, sent _our_ guildmates back, and went to pursue Jose to save Lucy." Cana ranted as she looked down at the councilman, the fact he was from the council already warranting her anger.

Everyone looked at Cana in shock, none of them had expected, or were aware of Makarov's condition, even making Lahar hold in a retort as he took a step back, not only metaphorically but physically, as he reexamined the situation.

"Can you explain what happened?" Lahar asked with a sigh, knowing that a fight with Cana, the guild drinker would only render them unable to apprehend both Jose and Natsu if necessary.

"We lead a raid on the guild since they attacked team shadow gear. Makarov went for Jose, and when his back was turned, Aria used Metsu." Cana explained, as quickly as possible, trying to now cooperate with the captain as the Rune Knights stood behind, both nervous, and curious as to why less and less magic was felt, but the dome was still present.

"And who was kidnapped?" Lahar asked as he began to write down her accounts on a clipboard, prompting her to continue.

"Lucy was then kidnapped by Aria during the assault before we were forced to flee. And then we were captured by the earth, and sea of the element four," Cana explained as Lahar room her account word for word.

"We were then freed by the second group, lead by Natsu. Natsu then defeated the element four and Black Steel Gajeel." Cana explained, not even hesitating to let any mention of Aria's state be known, while Lahar's eyes widened in shock, along with his platoon behind him.

"Then we need to hurry! Natsu is only one rank above Jose, and he should be too exhausted to-" Lahar began as he dropped his paper, before attempting to run forward, his platoon rushing behind him, only for them stood to stop by Cana's hand on his chest.

"Nope, Erza has this covered, plus my testimony is not yet complete," Cana said, her stern face and serious tone proving she was actually being honest, while Lahar sighed, with one of the knight grabbing the notepad and handing it towards Lahar.

"Fine, but one sign of trouble you will step aside," Lahar said with narrowed eyes as Cana continued her witness testimony, as was her right, going into more depth and filling the holes she left earlier, including why Jose attacked and why Lucy was captured.

 **END's PoV**

 **"You know what? I'll even put this in your favor... I'm not allowed to use any more magic for the next two minutes..."** The Natau demon taunted, testing his knowledge while also talking down to the man, making the behemoth shade before them roar as a magic circle formed in front of its torso, while the demon stood there, his stance higher allowing for quicker movement.

A huge beam of darkness magic, imbued with the red lightning shot out towards the demon, the power and strength of it equal to that of a dragons roar or even a gods bellow as it barreled towards the demon, who simply ran to the side, blurring as he lunged towards the phantom, his arms out as he impaled the demon's cloak, before using his claws to propel himself towards the cowl.

 **"Too Slow!"** The demon taunted as he vaulted over the phantoms arm that had attempted to slam him into the ground, before he began twisting his body, the horns on his head aimed directly for Jose's body within the shade, only to miss at it adapted to his presence, the magic pulling away as it opened a hole that END shot through, dealing no damage to the phantom.

 **"That's just cheap! Come on, play fair!"** END complained as he fell out of his spin, flipping his body as he dug the spines on his arm into the PHA toms back, right between its shoulders as he took a second to think.

But Jose would not give the demon even a second, as it's right arm literally turn on the shoulder, as it quickly went to grab the hanging demon without a second thought. END was barely able to avoid the cold, hands of darkness as he used his leverage to fling himself into the air, regretting his arrogance to make such a bet.

 **"Harry's Claw!"** END roared as he reached the arc of his flight, the claws on his arms extending and enlarge, becoming seven feet long and five inches thick, but the weight did not effect his movement. They were engulfed in wine red flames as he swung the claws upon Jose, faster than the phantom could warp as he slashed left and right, eventually decapitating the phantom causing it to fade out of existence.

The head did not tumble, simply the magic was sucked back into Jose, as he stood there, his eyes glowing in rage since he knew that his Final form would not defeat the demon, he had to find another way, thus allowing the projection to fade.

"What are you!" Jose roared as he shot towards the demon faster than expected, making the demon jump back himself as he prepared himself.

 **"Oh please... Like you didn't see my _tattoo,"_** The demon scoffed as he caught Jose's fist in his hand before, returning fire, clenching his Talon as he thrust his wrist spike towards Jose, making the saint grit their teeth as they caught the side of the spike, pushing it to the side before throwing in their knee.

"I refuse to believe your him! He hasn't been seen in over four hundred years, and there's no way he is the Salamander!" Jose roared as he slammed his knee into the demons diaphragm, hoping to force the air out of the demons lungs, only to watch in confusion as the demon stood undamaged.

 **"Might want to add some magic to those hits,"** The demon said through a malicious smirk as the END tattoo on his pectoral began to glow that wine red, making Jose's eyes widen in fear. END took the hand he caught, before twisting his arm, and literally breaking Jose's elbow, making him scream in pain before END tossed the saint to the side.

 **"Do you know what I've learned throughout the years?"** END asked rhetorically as he walked towards the downed Saint who was now holding his left arm to his breast. The saint grit his teeth as he struggled to his feet, refusing to believe what he saw, refusing to bow to that man.

 **"Death is way to easy,"** The demon whispered into Jose's ear, having had moved faster than even Jose could see as he stood in front of the saint, before impaling the man with his wrist spike, stabbing the man through his stomach and out his back, purposely missing the liver and kidney, and other vital organs as Jose screamed once more.

END kept Jose impaled for a few more seconds, a malicious smile on his face when he began to feel Jose's blood drip down the spike, waiting to see if the saint would struggle. But after a minute, and Jose didn't move at all, END simply sighed before an explosion on his hand sent the man shooting off the spike into the air, before falling to the ground.

"H-ho-w," Jose croaked as he struggled to his feet, the pain is too much as he held his broken arm to his chest, with the other holding his stomach, too tired, and in too much pain to move.

 **"How what? How did I beat you? How am I _stronger_ than you?" **END asked as he walked towards the saint, and taking in the sorry state that the man was in. He had half a head of hair, covered in suet, his clothes were torn, burnt and tattered, he was covered in scrapes and bruises. Add in his broken arm and stab wound it almost looks like he was tortured.

"How are Uh you gah here..." Jose croaked out as he barely pulled himself to a sitting position, his eyes searching out the demons soulless onyx orbs as it approached him. Blood continued to slowly pool around the man, who on second look was actually using his magic in an attempt to slow the bleeding, the darkness magic solidifying as a bandage, using up his last reserves.

 **"Oh? So you finally admit that I... Am END?"** The demon asked sadisticaly as it crouched before the wizard saint, who was barely able to sit up, let alone fight for his life... While the demon could go ten more rounds and still come out on top.

"Yes! There is no other explanation! You must have been using illusion magic this whole time! That's how a kid your age is so strong! Yes! It all makes sense now!" Jose cried out, his mania coming to view as his eyes widened in a crazy fashion.

 **"Man you so cray... is that not what kids say these days?"** The demon said in an exhapserated fashion before standing up again, waving it's claws before it's face in an attempt to clear the air.

 **"What astonishes me most.. is how little you saints know about demons... Truly. Like, you honestly think we use magic? We are creations of the black wizard... A false demon..."** END explained as he began to walk away from Jose, heading directly towards a specific spot on the dome of fire, before sighing.

"But how! How are you here! How did you snoop under everyone's noses!" Jose cried out as he looked at the demon, no matter how angry or hurt he was... He just had to know.

 **"Because not even Natsu knew I was there... All this time... And he still won't, not yet. He's not ready,"** END said as he stared at the wall, clenching his eyes shut as he stood directly in front of inner dome wall before turning around.

The demon began approaching Jose, the passing look of regret on even the Demon's face making him panic and worry, his arrogance submitting to his fear and need to live.

But he was shocked when END appeared before him, the tattoo on his right arm glowing as his face was planted directly infront of Jose, their noses barely three inches apart.

 **"Simon Says, that Natsu defeated you, and you will completely forget ever seeing me. And the minute you begin to remember... You will strangle yourself to death!"** END growled out as the dome of fire around them began to shrink at a slow rate, making everyone outside look on in shock and confusion.

END then backed up, leaving Jose completely still, no sign of pain, fear or anger on his blank face, the most shocking thing, his eyes glowing a wine red, the same colour as the Demon's fire.

 **"Oh, and by the way... You are completely guilty of all crimes and will pay for any and all damages, even to Fairy Tail's guild hall..."** END announced as he turned his head over his shoulder, with Jose still under the trance as he walked into the shrinking dome, passing through the fire and disappearing completely from sight.

 **Group PoV**

The two Fairies and the Rune Knights watched in worry and confusion, when the cries of pain and magic completely stopped, and all that could be heard was silence.

Erza had even given up on trying to pass through the fire, unsure of Natsu's state of mind, and not trusting that she would simply be safe because she was his friend. She was, however, shocked that when she closed her right eye, she was able to see through the flame, straight into the eyes of a pink haired demon.

'What... Is... That?! Surely that must be part of his dragon force?" Erza considered worriedly as her entire body was scared stock still, her hands not moving, cheat not even rising as she kept eye contact with that _thing_ that stood before her.

But when she blinked, he was gone, the dome was shrinking and she had no clue how or why this was happening. Did she actually see through the fire? Was it because of her artificial eye being immune? Or did it want her to see it? Could I'd have been a heat mirage? Heat sickness?

These were the thoughts going through Erza's head as she stayed completely still other from breathing, as she stared at the shrinking dome. Cana was worried for the scarlet haired woman, even more when she realized just how still she was, and began to rush forward with the knight when the dome began to shrink.

"Erza? You there?... Ginger head?" Cana trailed off as she stopped beside the red haired knight, before trailing off, unsure as to how the woman would react, and was surprised to just see the knight shake her head before turning to Cana.

"Pardon? Sorry, it seems that I was... Seeing things," Erza said uncertainly as her right eye kept darting towards the dome, not even worried that it was shrinking, but as to what they would find when it disappeared...

"No, all good Erza," Cana responded with a raised brow as she herself turned to the Rune Knights that were now circling the dome, prepared to set up runes as Cana's hand drifted to her card bag, preparing for a fight while Erza requipped her Flight Sabre.

"So.. who so you think won?" Cana asked as she stood beside her fellow fairy, watching as the Rune knighta continued to close in on the shrinking dome before setting up a protective barrier, placing runes all around the circumference of the dome, sealing whatever was inside.

And when the dome was finally four-feet in diameter, it disappeared entirely, revealing a heavily burnt, broken, and bleeding Jose who was passed out on the ground from pain, but there was no Natsu anywhere in sight, utterly confusing everyone present... Especially since Jose clearly lost.

"Break the barrier! Fall in and start immediate treatment!" Lahar ordered as he turned to the two fairies, a righteous glare on his face as he stormed towards them, while Cana simply waved.

"What the hell happened in there? We need Natsu's sta-" Lahar raged in a calm monotonous voice, but his eyes betrayed his calm demeanor, especially when he was interrupted by Cana.

"That's Saint Dragneel to you," Cana commented with a smirk on her face, only to get swatted on the back of her head by Erza who gave her a glare before turning to Lahar.

",We are also uncertain as to his current location, but I promise that once he returns you will get your statement, now if you excuse us, we have to talk to Lucy," Erza explained before walking around the Rune commander, ignoring Cana's failed attempts to quell her laughter as they completely bypassed the man.

Lahar stood there, his shoulders tense while the surrounding rune Knights slowly backed away, fearing their commanders anger as they watched him about to explode. But they were equally relieved when he let out a sigh, face palming as he muttered to himself.

'I now completely understand why the council almost entirely detests that guild..." Lahar muttered, as he removed his hand from his face, adjusting his glasses as he began to direct his platoon.

"But, you can't argue with results... No matter how destructive. Because Natsu completely held back," Lahar muttered as the Knights began to run Jose back to the manor, with a few staying back to survey, investigate and record the scene.

Overall it wasn't that bad, sure there was a crack in the earth, missing turf, and a few collapsed hills... But these were two wizard saints... All in all, Mr. Heartfilia is a lucky man...

 **Gloria's PoV**

The brown haired assistant watched in shock as they ran faster then an athlete, almost like a marathon, as they quickly approached the guest house, even if she couldn't really see anything definite, the speed blurring everything around her slightly.

And within about six minutes they had reached the guest house, and to Gloria's shock, Gray showed no other sign of fatigue other than a little of swear on his brow, which proved that Fairy Tail mages focused on their physical body, not only their magic.

"So, how will we know where Lucy is?" Gloria asked as she watched the mage, wanting him to take lead since this was his friend, and no longer her responsibility especially since she was fired.

"How about we follow the path of destruction?" Gray asked ironically with a smirk on his face as he pointed to the door, making Gloria confused until she realized the state of the lock, melted and no longer usable.

"Heh heh, right..." Gloria replied as she began to play with her hair due to her nerves as she watched the dark haired man leasing the way. Lowering his hand to open the door, and smirking when he noticed the scratch marks in the door frame itself.

He quickly froze the door knob before opening the door, looking around for somewhere he would have put her, and was surprised there was no other damage done inside the actual building, everything being kept clean and in pristine condition.

"Hey Gloria, so you said Jose was chasing Natsu right?" Gray asked as he took a few more steps inside the building, his neck craning as he searched for ant signs of the blonde, chosing logic rather than speed to solve this case.

"Yeah, Jose quickly shot out after Him, leaving a mess in her room due to his magic flaring," Gloria explained as she watched Gray look around the front hallway, She was curious to see how he would find her, especially since it seemed that he was trying to use investigative skills to find her rather than searching.

"Yep, sounds about right," Gray said with a chuckle as he began to walk through the hall, making sure to wipe his shoes on the entrance mat, without even looking at the floor for scuff marks. She followed him through the hallway towards the kitchen where he looked around, before smiling.

"What?" Gloria asked as she looked around, finding no reason for him to smile or any sign of Lucy at all.

"Okay, look over at the window, where's the glass shards?" Gray asked as he pointed towards the living room, that held a luscious black leather couch, White shag rug, dark stained wooden coffee table and a large, lacrima viewer.

"Sure, it's broken? Their on the outside," Gloria commented confusedly as she looked at the wall, assuming that the earthquake caused by the magic earlier had broken the window.

"Yep, because Natsu flew out of it, after, he set Lucy on the couch." Gray explained as he lead her into the living room, proving that he was right.

"How on earth did you know that?" Gloria asked shocked, as she watched him approach Lucy, turning her over as he began to check her over.

"Oh please, I've broken enough windows to figure that out, plus, Natsu wouldn't leave a lady on the floor... None of us would," Gray said as he grabbed a blanket before laying it over her body, and lifting her in his arms bridal style. Unaware of Gloria's appreciative gaze.

"Because she's nakama, and nakama take care of eachother." Gray said resolutely as as he turned around, before walking towards the entrance, and out of the guest house.

* * *

And onto the Reviews!

Natsuharemfan-23/38- I don't really see how Natsu could help Flare with her fire hair magic, but I may do a flashback at some point, it would either have to be triggered or when he meets Flare, not by random.

ridix-23/38- Thank, man! I really appreciate it!

JustAGuest-23/38- Yeah, I'm not great at editing, especially when I rush, I use a word processor but that doesn't always work either. Sorry, If I have time I'll go back and fix it.


	40. The Missing Link

And Onto the Story!

"Where's the flame brain!" Gray called out as he carried a blanket covered Lucy towards the approaching Erza and Cana, with Gloria in tow as they walked towards the manor, both pairs trying their best to ignore the two rune Knights that continued to follow them.

"Yes, I would like to know that as well," Erza replied, her tone hard, but held an obvious undertone of confusion, her face obviously distraught, as they walked towards the manor, worrying Gray, especially because she wasn't the worrying type.

"What's going on? What happened?" Gloria asked, butting her head into the conversation, worried because her bet did not carry over to his guildmates, meaning _..._

 _"_ You need not worry, Gloria, your friend will still be looked at," Erza said with a sigh as she resisted the urge to look back towards where the battle for their pride and family had taken place, the image of the demon appearing in her mind every time she blinked.

"Why are you guys so worried? He's fine right?" Cana asked, the silence and Erza's obvious worry making her almost panic, as she looked at the two mages, not being anywhere near as familiar with his magic as they were.

"I've never seen him use that type of fire before..." Erza retorted with a raised brow, her eyes meeting the brunettes. But the underlying tone was clear as day, the worry in her eyes and the wrinkles on her face. She was actually nervous, for Natsu, and that just made Cana feel even worse.

"What were those flames anyways? Didn't he use them before flying away?" Gray asked confusedly as they continued down the pathway towards the manor, as they didn't have enough magic to return to the guild, without a magic mobile or any other form of transportation.

"He did... And that is what's worrying me," Erza replied, as she turned her stare back towards the manor, while everyone else was enveloped in silence, contemplating what had gone down, and what Erza had meant by that.

"Wait... I never realized this, but earlier, before Natsu shot off... But those flames felt weird." Cana brought up making everyone think about what she meant.

"Perhaps... When I was attempting to ascertain control of the dome, I was incapable, even when focusing all of my magic into my fire empress armor. And when I attempted to cut through them... It completely melted my sword, but emitted no heat whatsoever," Erza commented out loud, making everyone, even Gloria attempt solve this puzzle.

"So what type of flames were those anyway?" Gray asked confusedly as he continued to carry the unconscious blonde without issue, having the idea that they were barely skimming the surface of those flames capabilities, especially since Natsu had probably set the barrier up in an attempt to contain the damage, something the HellFire flames should have been more suitable for.

"No, that's not quite what I meant..." Cana said as she began to scratch her chin, making even Gloria stop and look at her, prompting her to continue.

"As a card mage, especially with all my tracking spells I've learned and practiced over the years... I've learned a lot about sensing people's magic, and magic in general. But, those flames felt so weird, almost as they were natural... Without a magical power source," Cana voiced with uncertainty, making Erza's jaw drop and Gray's eyes widen, while Gloria simply looked around.

"Cana... What are you suggesting?" Erza asked confused as she picked her jaw up off of the ground, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the brunette, taking into account the woman's hesitant and almost fearful visage.

"I don't think that was magic... And by default... Wasn't Natsu's?" Cana asked, her voice turning inquisitive as she kept eye contact with Erza, while Gray's face turned cold and emotionless, as he contemplated Cana's insane proposition.

"I don't know Cana, think about the size of that thing? It was practically a thousand feet in diameter. Who else could make a dome, of fire that large! It's almost impossible... And you're saying that was done without the aid of magic? Now you're just being crazy." Gray said logically as he looked at the busty lush,

But the brunette was stricken, Gray's cold, hard and true logic truly rang through her mind as her eyes drifted to the blonde, and then the sky, the sun reminding her of the warmth Natsu radiated...

But the lack of magic behind the flames was still very worrisome, especially since Jose was unconscious for an unknown amount of time, and Natsu was nowhere to be seen.

"Perhaps the flames were designed not to be detected by magic?" Gloria suggested hopefully, her lack of knowledge about magic taking the back seat to her sense of logic and hopeful nature.

But she was easily left nervous when everyone's eyes turned to her, their blank faces and focused pupils drilling into her mind as her eyes lowered to her feet. She was so nervous, that she was completely unable to hold eye contact with the intimidating, and strong mages.

"You know, perhaps that could be it? Flames like that could have hundreds of applications," Erza suggested with a shrug of her shoulders as she turned around, beginning to walk towards the manor once more.

"You're probably right... Just, why didn't that flame brained idiot tell us about them earlier?" Gray asked, his tone falling towards annoyance as he stared at the ground, having had believed that Natsu had really trusted them but in honesty? It seemed like he didn't at all.

"Oh, come on guys, give Natsu some slack. We can't jump to conclusions without having any real proof." Cana said aloud, her voice surprisingly confident as she walked tall and proud towards the manor.

"I suppose you are correct. Forgive me, it is rude to make an assumption," Erza said as she paused in her stride to take a bow, before continuing forward, and completing the last of their trek back to the manor, with those same two rune Knights continuing to follow them, at least fifteen feet away, just keeping an eye on the fairies, not trying to arrest them, since, they had committed no crime.

"You there! What are you doing with my Daughter! Guards!" A middle-aged man with slicked black blonde hair called out as he tore out of out the glass-paned french doors on the side of the manor adjoined to the living room, with many large, muscle-bound men in sunglasses, black suits with black bow tie's, with white earpieces connected to coiled wires connected to the lacrima on their belt.

But the closer the man and his four guards got, he began to realize that one out of the four young adults became easily recognizable, making the blonde haired man's jaw drop in anger.

"Gloria! What are you doing with my daughter! You were supposed to get off my property the second I fired you!" Jude bellowed as they stormed towards the four, making them stop at the top of the hill, right on the outskirts of the wedding, stopping just a few feet away from the chairs, decorations and the trellis' that blocked the sunshine.

Both Erza and Cana turned back to Gloria, surprised to see her clear face, and strong stance as the conglomerate owner stormed towards her, with the large body guard's behind him making quite the aggressive, and intimidating entourage.

"Excuse me? Can we help you?" Cana asked as she swayed to the middle of the pack, standing guard in front of Gloria and Lucy, with Erza behind her, her arms under her bosom, her stare cold and her face hard as she watched the men storm towards them. She was not afraid, but worried about the following confrontation, and what repercussions it could have.

"You! All of you! I don't recognize any of you! Are you the ones responsible for all the damage to _MY_ home?!" Jude raged as he stopped but four feet away from the five if you counted the still unconscious heiress. Lucy's condition still hadn't changed, simply due to the strength of even a simple Sleeping Circle from Jose, putting her straight into a REM sleep so deep she was practically comatose. But due to all the commotion, ruckus and fighting, she was now well on her way out of her deep sleep, her eyeballs move and twisting below their lids, hinting at just how close she was to waking up.

"Yes! You can help me by returning _my_ daughter, and by getting the hell away from my home!" Jude yelled as the men behind him began to walk forward, as Jude stood in place, cracking their knuckles as they prepared to assimilate Lucy, back from the fairies. But Jude was quickly stunned when Erza quickly and efficiently disabled, and rendered each guard unconscious in less than a second, appearing as if she never moved at all, creating an afterimage that never even faded, as she returned exactly to the same spot.

"Yeah, It doesn't look like that's going to happen," Cana said as she put her hands on her hips, as Jude's rage continued to boil, his fists clenched so hard his fingers turned an unnatural shade of white, his shoulders shaking in an attempt to quell and restrain his rage, even a vein pulsed on his forehead, appearing as if he was seconds away from bursting.

"Excuse me?! Not only did you break onto my property, destroy my lawn... You kidnapped my daughter, and interrupted a perfectly legal wedding! Knights! Arrest these hooligans immediately!" Jude rambled as his shoulders continued to shake in anger, one second away from beating them up himself as he felt his dignity, and his future gets torn out of his hands, his dignity ruined and his business broken.

But Jude was pushed to his limits when the two rune knights that had been following the five young adults made no move to approach, let alone apprehend the four, in fact, they barely paid Jude any notice, even when they were less than ten metres away, and Jude was bellowing at the top of his lungs.

And the man had finally had enough. Years of getting what he wanted, when he wanted, even at the expense of others driving his sense of morality down the shoot, as he stomped towards the Fairies and Gloria, not even caring when he stepped on his guards fingers, body, or even face, shattering one of their glasses and imprinting the man's head into the grass as he attempted to tower over the mages, only standing one inch taller than Erza as his muscles began to tense under his suit jacket, as he prepared a sucker punch.

He swung his left fist, aiming for Cana's temple, hoping to knock her out and out of his way so that he could take back his daughter and their business on the table. He was quickly denied when Cana easily, and quickly caught his fist in her right hand, her left hand shooting towards forearm as she spun him around, pressing his arm against his back as his face contorted in pain.

"Honestly? If you get violent over something like this... You're a terrible father, not to mention a terrible boss," Cana said with a sigh as she slammed her foot into the back of Jude's knees, prompting the Rune Knights to quickly run forward, Jude's assault having had been handled, but Cana's brutality shone through as well.

"Gloria! I demand that you make these hooligans release me this instant!" Jude yelled even as he was held below Cana, who rolled her eyes before pushing him to the ground and actually pressing his face into the dirt with the bottom of her foot, making Erza sigh while Gloria's jaw actually dropped.

"You there! That's enough, release Mr. Heartfilia this instant!" One of the two Knights ordered as they began to march towards the adults, taking the effort to carefully step over and avoid the bodyguards as they approached.

"Look, man, I get that you'll get some nice cash from this and everything, but Lucy's one of us. And she isn't getting married unless she wants to." Cana explained, adding extra pressure with her foot on his head before stepping off, as Jude scrambled to his feet, quickly catching the eye of everyone, literally everyone was watching from inside his house, from every window on that side of his house, even the servants.

"No! My daughter is getting married, and you will not stop me!"Jude yelled as he charged at the group of young adults, catching everyone's attention, and diverting their attention away from the blonde with Gray's arms who began to stir, her head shaking as her eyelids began to flutter.

Cana took a step to the side, giving Erza full range of movement, as the two rune Knights ran to intervene, only for Jude to stop a metre away from his daughter due to Erza holding the flight Sabre to his neck, her other hand holding a twelve inch dagger in a reverse grip aimed towards his kidney, completely restricting his movement while threatening his life simultaneously.

"Bro, cool off," Gray said as he looked down at Lucy, before noticing her eyes beginning to flutter open, realizing that this almost seems to be a habit, Lucy getting captured, and then having to save her... "She's waking up," Gray said offhandedly as he crouched before laying her on the ground, making sure she was wrapped safely in the blanket as Cana walked forward, kneeling at the side of the blonde as Erza continued to keep Jude restrained, with the Rune Knights walking forward at a slower pace keeping their eyes on the mages, and trusting them to handle this situation properly, especially since its a fight they wouldn't be able to win.

"Hey, Lucy, you in there?" Cana asked with a smirk as she waved her hand above the blonde's face, quickly pulling her hand back when the blonde shot up, her eyes wide and mouth gaped as she remembered where she was last, in the grasp of the Phantom Lord.

"Wind- Magic - Jose - Sleep -Explosion!" Lucy rambled as her head turned rapidly, as she attempted to gather her surroundings, her eyes slowly recognizing her guildmates, her childhood home, and her father with a sword to his throat and a knife to his back.

"What- What's going on?" Lucy asked as her eyes fluttered, her eyes locked onto Cana who was kneeling to her left.

"You're dad's trying to force you into a marriage," Cana said with a sigh making Lucy turn to Jude, a scary frown upon her face as Cana helped the blonde to her feet, making everyone gasp at how beautiful she looked in her dress, except Gray and the rune knights.

"Girl, do you look good in everything?" Cana asked half amazed as she looked at the blonde in an elaborate, but immaculate pink dress, her arms rising towards the blondes bust as she ran her hands down Lucy's torso and across her bosom as Lucy stood there her face blushing deeper than Erza's as she stood there shocked, making everyone, even her father blush as they watched the lush grope the blond.

"Cana!" Erza barked out from in front of Jude making Cana pull her hands off of Lucy, and putting her hands in the air as she took a step back as Lucy turned to Jude.

"Dad! Were you seriously behind all of this! Master is on his deathbed and my friends have been hurt! How dare you!" Lucy yelled as she stormed towards her father, making Erza gracefully step around the businessman while keeping her sword a careful nanometer away from his throat, the micro edge of the blade just barely touching the skin of his neck making sweat begin to build on Jude's neck.

"Lucy! You were arranged to be married when you were sixteen! I told you this! But you decided to run away from home! I had waited long enough for you to finish bumbling around!" Jude yelled back, too angry to be aware of all the reporters filming them from inside his home.

"Really?! You think you have the right to tell me what to do?! You haven't been my father since the day mom disappeared!" Lucy yelled back, making everyone gasp as they turned towards Jude, getting caught up in the drama and excitement.

"I told you! The PI said she died, it's been years, let it go! And I provided you with the best teachers, helpers, and aids, you ungrateful-!" Jude roared back making only to be cut off when Erza twitched her left hand very carefully, cutting a very, thin line in his neck, making him bite his tongue and grind his teeth as he realized just how terrible a situation he was in."My mother was more of a parent in the ten years I had with her than you were my entire life!" Lucy screamed as her eyes began to water, the fact her father was talking so callously about her mother was literally breaking her heart.

"Well, I'm sorry I was trying to protect your future! Heartfilia Konzern is your birthright, as is your duty to marry Sawarr Junelle!" Jude yelled back, unaware that this argument with his daughter could, and might be broadcasted across Fiore for the next few months.

"Hey, dude, get with the times. Women can marry who they want to!" Gray jumped in, having had felt practically useless since he had to be rescued from Phantom Lord. Jude didn't even dignify Gray a response, as he stared at his daughter, anger practically radiating off his body, not that Erza cared.

"After mom died, I felt lost, my last family member turned on me, and I was left alone. But finally, Finally I found somewhere I fit in, somewhere I can call home, and I am not, going, to let you ruin this! I will not marry Sawarr! And I am NOT! YOUR DAUGHTER!" Lucy yelled as she stormed towards her father, somehow avoiding the four large men on the ground before stopping in front of her father, glaring straight in her face.

"Yeah, you go girl!" Cana cheered from where she stood, throwing her hand into the air as she took a sip from a bottle of beer, making Gray roll his eyes, not even bothering to try and question where she got it from since she had a history of doing things like that.

"Lucy, I take it that you have finished your conversation with this man?" Erza asked from behind Jude, her eyes peeking over the man's shoulder, catching the affirmative knod from the stunning blonde in the pink dress, making Erza smirk as she twisted her right hand, jabbing Jude in the back with the back of her knife hilt, forcing the man to his knees as he grasped his stomach in pain, as the two rune knights ran forward, covering the distance as they restrained Jude Heartfilia, and aided him to his feet, before taking him away for questioning, since it seemed he had a part in this interguild war.

"Was that vindicating?" Erza asked as she walked towards Lucy, who turned around and began to walk towards the entrance of the manor with Cana, Gloria, and Gray following not even two steps behind.

"Very," Lucy said as she turned her head to look at Erza, catching not only sight of her ruined home, and of Gloria walking beside Cana, making her eyes widen in shock, not because of Gloria, but the damage done to her childhood home.

"WHAT HAPPENED!" Lucy yelled in shock as she turned around, her hands shooting towards the bottom of her dress, lifting it upwards as she ran backward, towards the damage, her eyes widening in utter terror as she scanned over the damage and destruction.

"What on Earthland happened..." Lucy muttered as she noticed the missing mountains and hills, the cracked earth and scorched ground.

"Natsu did," Erza said as she sidled up beside Lucy, holding in a sigh as she looked over the damage, realizing that it was a necessary evil and that they were just glad that nobody died, which was confusing, especially since Natsu disappeared.

"Wait, where's Natsu, How did I end up here, and who are you?" Lucy asked her tone at the beginning sounding panicked, and ending up sounding confused as she turned to Gloria, prompting the woman to fix her glasses as she extended her hand to the beautiful blonde.

"My name is Gloria Kuidori, I _was_ your father's assistant," The brunette explained as she shook Lucy's hand, making the blonde nod as she turned around to look out across her old home.

"Okay, where do we start. You got kidnapped by Aria, we got captured by the phantom lord and locked in a cell. Natsu led the rest of the guild into saving us, while defeating the entire element four _and_ Gajeel. Then he flew off, got into a fight with someone," Gray began before turning to Gloria, making Lucy's eyes shoot open in shock, finding it hard to believe that he was able to rally everyone together and defeat something their S-Class, and soon to be could not.

"Then he made a deal with me to find you, we distracted Jose, he flew off with you, set you in the guest house, then he flew off to fight Jose," Gloria explained making Lucy's eyes widen further, immediately jumping to a bad conclusion since he was no longer present.

"I-s, is he dead?" Lucy asked, her eyes beginning to water as her heart began to break, the first person to accept her for who she is, and helping her find a new home after her mom died.

"No, Lucy, Natsu is not dead... He's just, missing... Jose is being brought into custody as we speak." Cana said uncertainly, not at all aiding Lucy's fears, as everyone, including her, began to worry as they turned around, enveloped in silence as they vacated the estate, unaware that they were being watched by Lahar's secondary...

 **Natsu's PoV**

 _'Wh-where am I?" Natsu asked as he looked around inside of a room, his eyes catching small glimpses of light as he began to notice the rocky, uneven ceiling and flickering orange lights, leading him to believe that he was inside a cave. Something that was quickly confirmed when he heard the crackling of a campfire, echoing throughout the mossy cavern he was sitting in._

 _"Why am I here, what on earthland is going on..." Natsu muttered as he stood up within the cavern, scanning the shadows within the cave for any recording lacrima or weapon hiding in the dark, as any captor would automatically assume a captive would explore and attempt to figure out where they are, and thus miss something._

 _Natsu shook his head after examining the entire chamber, he slowly, and carefully made his way out of the cave, making no sound at all as he made his way towards the light, surprised to see a large muscular man tending the fire, with long, maroon red hair, a lightly scarred back with a dark red, almost black set of wings, spanning across his shoulder blades and entire back. The man was wearing torn brown pants, with both the hem and waist being ripped and damaged, with a tan coiled rope acting as his belt._

 _Across from the man was someone with long, spiky pink black tipped hair, but that was the most normal thing about him. His face and overall size were almost exactly like Natsu's as if he were looking into a mirror, but the similarities ended there. His limbs and torso were covered in crimson black scales, with horns and other black pikes almost shooting out randomly around his body... Head, wrist..._

 _"What... The Hell is going on here! Who are you!" Natsu yelled as he stepped into the middle of the hallway, attracting the attention of both men, but neither showed surprise, having had sensed the man's awareness before he had even left his side cavern._

 _"I'm glad that you're awake Natsu, we have a lot to talk about..." The older man said as he turned around, making Natsu's eyes widen since he hadn't seen the man a long time ago... The day Gildarts had lost his limbs... and the day Natsu had gained his humility..._

 _"Igneel?!" Natsu asked in shock as his body blurred, as he instantly appeared in front of the dark-haired man, his nostrils flaring as he took in the man's scent, attempting to recognize the man's scent, and confirming that his memory was in fact correct._

 _"Give the man a prize, he's not a complete idiot." The demonic man said sarcastically as he shifted his right talon into a handgun, before shooting wine red fire into the bonfire and completely converting the color of flames from a boisterous, lovable orange to a succulent wine red._

 _"Igneel, what the hell is going on, where are we, and what is that?!" Natsu yelled as he stared the dragon king turned man in the eyes, confused, and angry that he hadn't shown up in approximately the past eight years. And now he shows up, with this demonic copy... of himself?_

 _"Long story short... We're in your mindscape. This is a mental representation of the Cave I raised you in... And this?" Igneel asked as he gestured to the demonic Natsu, an unsure look on his face, simply because of how difficult of a situation it was to try and describe._

 _"What big and scaly is trying to say... Is that I, am you." The demon said making Natsu's eyes shoot open in shock, his head turning between the demon Natsu and Igneel, scanning their facial expressions, scanning their heart rate, perspiration... Anything that would tell him whether or not they were lying... And he was shocked to see, that they weren't lying at all._

 _Natsu didn't respond immediately, he simply closed his eyes, his chest rising as he took a deep breath, holding it in for a few minutes, before letting it out. Natsu was sad to find out, that inhaling and exhaling provided no relief to his warring mind when he was inside his mind._

 _"Right, can someone please explain why, and how, I am, that person," Natsu said with an exasperated gesture towards the demon as he walked forward, sitting on one of the logs that outlined the campfire in a three foot radius, prompting Igneel to sit down on a log in between the two Natsu's forming a triangle of vertices around the campfire._

 _"Look, I don't have much time, and You," Igneel said as he pointed towards the demon Natsu, making the man raise his hands in the air, pretending to be innocent while Natsu looked between the two, confused why the demon of himself was acting disrespectfully towards Igneel, a man who had saved him from being mauled as a child in the forest._

 _"You bloody well know that you were never supposed to get passed that seal." Igneel finished with a growl as he leaned forward, placing his elbows upon his knees, cracking his knuckles in front of his chest as he leaned forward, his slit piercing gaze boring into the demon's face._

 _"Hey, what can I say, this flame brain got himself into quite the pickle. Sure, he had enough in the tank to foil the phantom, but, that idiot took advantage of the very magic he uses, his container, and entire body was flooded with dark magic." The Demon explained calmly making Igneel clench his hand so hard everyone present could hear the bones in his hand begin to crack._

 _"Natsu, I'll give you two seconds to explain why you let this happen or I will take you outside and show you the difference in our powers," Igneel growled as his magic began to manifest around him, representing his true form, a large majestic dragon outlined in orange flames. His anger flaring due to how many stupid mistakes Natsu had been making recently._

 _"Dad, you know bloody well I would never betray the rules, but I can't very well go all out in a populated area. What good is power if it only brings misery?" Natsu explains, reciting what Makarov had told Natsu when he was a child, asking why nobody ever saw him use his magic to the best of its abilities._

 _"No, you don't quite understand what's going on! He is Misery, destruction, and pain. Remember Deliora?" Igneel asked through gritted teeth, doing his best to keep his calm, as he couldn't expect Natsu to know the danger, especially since he wasn't aware of his second half._

 _"Yes, please keep the compliments rollings, *sob* It's good to know that people know me so well," The demon faked as he held his talons to his face, wiping fake tears away while both Igneel and Natsu rolled their eyes._

 _"Do you know where your last name came from? And why I took you in?" Igneel asked with a sigh, having had not wanted to reveal everything to Natsu so soon, especially since none of the others were ready yet._

 _"Yeah, Drag is for a dragon, and Neel is from your name; Igneel. And you saved me because you were a lonely bastard?" Natsu asked, having had never really questioned why someone would do the right thing, for any other reason than, because it was the right thing to do. The demon completely burst out into laughter, while Igneel shook his head in annoyance._

 _"Yes, Natsu, I was a lonely dragon king," Igneel said sarcastically as he rolled his eyes, trying his best to ignore the very annoying demon sitting across from him, diagonally. "But no, Dragneel was not derived from mine own. END ball's in your court," Igneel answered as he gestured towards the demon, making Natsu raise his brow, having had her the name END before..._

 _"I, am END, or should I say, Etherious Natsu Dragneel, And so are you." The demon said as he stood up from his log, displaying his full demonic body, making Natsu's eyes widen at his, or his own legs?_

 _"Wait for a second, Etherious is a type of demon, made by Zeref himself..." Natsu trailed off before his eyes widened in a mixture of shock, and fear._

 _"That's right little dragon... You aren't even human... Or totally human anyways." The demon trailed off as he walked towards Natsu and sitting beside him, looking himself in the eyes, and for once not even seeing the horns on his head, admitting that perhaps his other half may not be that bad... Other than his stupidity, and oblivious nature... Okay, Natsu Dragneel kinda sucked as an alternate personality._

 _Natsu turned to the dragon king, hoping to find some sort of reassurance or rebuttal in his eyes, some strand of hope that his already fairly fragile life was not about to be turned on a dime. But he found none, only regret and a type of pity not unknown to the Sakura haired de-man._

 _"O-okay... Can someone please explain from the start, what the hell is going on?" Natsu asked frantically, his hands beginning to shake as he realized what type of position this put him in._

 _"Alrighty then, once upon a time there was a boy, who was pretty stupid and never did what he was told, a stark opposite from his older sibling..." END began as he looked to the side, and towards Igneel, sighing when he saw the dragon king gesture to his wrist._

 _"Okay then, long story short. You died during the dragon war. Your brother attempted to revive you, this making demons. And then he succeeded and was cursed by a god. And you were their bane, the only person strong enough to end their curse, by killing them. You, We are END, Etherious Natsu Dragneel, the strongest of the etherious." END explained the speed at which he did so making Natsu's jaw drop, with too much information thrown at him to retain._

 _"Whoa whoa whoa! Slow down! Say again?! I died?!" Natsu yelled in shock, making Ignesighghi as he turned to the demon, a silent message being passed between them as they turned to Natsu._

 _"Look, Natsu. There is too much information to be explained in the time we have right now, all will be explained in time, but I really need you to listen to me right now." Igneel said seriously as he stood up and walked towards the two pieces of a whole, stopping in the middle of the bonfire as his features became more and more indistinct._

 _"You have to lay low for now, use your magic at a minimum and stay at your guild. No missions, no nothing, you got me? You aren't the only Etherious walking the plains of Earthland... And the others think you're their master." Igneel explained as he merged with the flame, while Natsu simply nodded, just glad to see a sign of his first, father's health._

 _"And one more thing... Don't give him control again, he's up to something..." Igneel said, his glowing red eyes hidden beneath the flame glaring at the demon who threw his hands up in the air, as if he was under arrest, while Natsu shut his eyes, doing his best to remember everything said, and otherwise._

 _And then the light went away, no longer could he hear the crackling of the campfire nor the heat of the flame on his skin as everything went black._

"My head..." Natsu grumbled as he covered his eyes with his hands, the extra light exposure almost blinding his sensitive eyes as he raised himself off of his back and onto his bottom, keeping his eyes closed as he focused on his hearing.

Birds were singing, bugs were chirping and there was the faint sounds of running water, most likely a stream or small river. But he could hear no sounds of monsters, people or large animals even.

"Well, I have no clue where I am... Isn't that lovely..." Natsu grumbled as he slowly adjusted his hand, turning it horizontally as he blocked the blaring sunlight from his eyes, allowing him to slowly examine his surroundings, while simultaneously confirming his suspicions.

Except for one minor detail, he was in a small, crater, the ground around him completely charred and burnt, turning the healthy brown soil into a black, charred crater, could barely even be called one, as Natsu found it to only be maybe two feet deep, and maybe six feet in diameter on a second glance.

"Hmmm... Surrounded by trees... They're quite thick too. That certainly narrows it down," Natsu said with a sigh as he looked up, not even caring for what had, or hadn't happened. His king had given him an order, and he'd be damned if he didn't follow through.

"Alright, home here I come," Natsu sighed as he went to stand, shocked at how sore his body really was, His shoulders, knees, wrists... And then it made sense 'Don't Give him control _Again..._ ' Igneel had said, meaning that END had most likely taken control, thus morphing his body. Which explained the pain, but he could only hope that END had at least finished Jose off before bolting.

"So it was real... I really am a demon," Natsu thought sardonically as he stared at his hands, remembering a book Laxus had practically forced him to read on demons, thinking about all the villages and homes his alter ego had razed.

 **'Perhaps I should explain our situation a little better...'** END said making Natsu eyes shoot open in shock, before quickly and efficiently scanning the entire area, before remembering that _this_ was the voice Natau had been hearing in his head before fighting Jose.

 **'You are still Natsu Dragneel, the sixth Wizard Saint and ladies man -** ' END began only to be quickly cut off by Natsu. 'What do you mean by Ladies Man?! I'm dating Mira!' Natsu argued as he stepped out of the small pit, taking a quick second to notice the position of the sun, before turning on his heal, and walking South.

 **'My God! Was I really that Stupid? How do you not see what's going o- Never mind, that's not important, yet.'** END replied as Natsu began to enter the heavier wooded area, taking care not to leave any proof he had ever been there other than the crater as he walked through the forest, stepping on roots and fallen branches as much as possible as he made his way towards Magnolia.

 **'We are still very separate entities, even though we share the same ancestry and body. It would almost be more correct to refer to us as conjoined twins, in a sense.'** END explained as Natsu got closer and closer to the running water, still not recognizing his location, but he continued to trudge on.

'So am I a demon, or a human?' Natsu asked confusedly as he began to jog through the forest, his worry for his friends and Lucy allowing him to overcome his sudden joint pain.

 **'That's the hard part, you are in the middle, a hybrid, so to speak.'** END explained as Natsu began to slowly near the edge of the dense brush, this forest seems almost more like a jungle due to the sheer density of it.

'That doesn't really make sense...' Natsu replied as he finally reached the edge of the forest, glad that he was not further north, otherwise it would have taken a lot longer, even at his jogging pace, which was like sprinting for a normal, nonmagical person.

 **'No, I suppose it doesn't. All you need to know is that as of right now, END, and Natsu Dragneel are separate people.** **We have different wants, and needs.** ' END explained before going silent, allowing Natsu to properly his surroundings.

There was a river to his left, maybe a dozen or so feet in width, a mountain range at about two O'Clock, and a more even, steady lane in front of him.

'I think I know where we are... I think that was the Waas forest...' Natsu thought to himself as he looked down at his body, not wanting to have to trek practically the entire content in his current state.

"Look's like I have to use my magic..." Natsu whispered to himself as he closed his eyes, assessing how full, or empty his container was, wincing when he realized just how low it was, before disappearing in a flash of fire, unaware that he had not left unnoticed.

 **Lucy's PoV**

"Is Makarov alright? I know he had his magic stolen..." Lucy asked, breaking the silence on the trade ride back to Magnolia, their cabin having had been silent, due to people's exhaustion, and worry as to what happens next.

"Yes, apparently Natsu used his green flames to place a seal on Makarov, allowing him to gather his magic power back," Erza explained as she took a sip of tea before looking out the window to her left, watching the trees go by as she tried to ignore the growing pit in her stomach, worried that this could be the end of Fairy Tail as they know it, especially since the council has their nose in the middle of everything.

"Why does everything always lead back to him?" Lucy asked despondently as she looked down at her dress, trying not to think about the fact he could be injured, or worse because he had saved her.

"Natsu is very... Unique. I've never met someone as caring, or forgiving as him," Erza responded after taking another sip of tea, this time turning to look Lucy in the eye, having an idea as to what was going through her mind as she sat there, staring at her gloved hands.

"How did he do it though? You, yourself could barely even defeat Gajeel, but he took out their strongest mages?" Lucy asked despondent, trying to keep her voice soft, lest she wakes Gray from his nap, in the corner.

As for Cana? Somehow she had convinced the ever so innocent Gloria into going to the onboard bar with her, as a sort of thank you, for aiding Natsu. But, Erza could only speculate that Cana intended to drink away her worries, and simply needed someone to make sure she didn't get too crazy.

"There are many factors that lead to that..." Erza said with a sigh as she leaned forward, setting her tea, and plate down on the table between them, before crossing her arms in her lap.

"First off, Dragonslayer a are naturally more resilient than other mages, and given the fact most, if not all of my armors are metal? It left me at a disadvantage. Plus, Natsu is able to retain his magic by simply consuming fire, and the stronger the fire," Erza began, always ready to help a guildmate, and for some reason, she wasn't even slightly offended that Lucy had mentioned the large gaps in their strength.

"The more magic he gets back," Lucy finished, making Erza smile and nod her head.

"But to take out Jose though... I just..." Lucy began, before looking at her lap, practically twiddling her thumbs to calm her nerves as she struggled to explain her conundrum.

"Natsu is ranked higher than Jose. That does not mean he is only slightly stronger. For younger wizards to rise through the ranks like Natsu did, they must have the combat ability, and pure power to overpower experience. And evidently, Natsu has that." Erza explained as she stared right at the blonde, knowing that nothing she could say, or do, would make her feel okay until Lucy was sure Natsu was alright.

Lucy then became silent, her understanding was not what worried Erza, but the fact her hands began to shake, and her eyes never left her knees.

"I'm sorry!" The blonde blurted out making Lucy raise a brow, while Gray began to stir.

"It's all my fault. Master almost died. Some of you even got hurt! All because I was too selfish to sacrifi-" Lucy rambled, just trying to lay everything out on the table, only to stop mid-sentence when Erza raised her hand.

"You must understand you are not at fault. As we explained earlier, this rivalry had been going on for almost a decade. Your father's request was simply the catalyst. Jose had hoped that he would have been able to wipe out our guild, while capturing you, in the hopes the council would be lenient. Especially, since they tend to have a common dislike for our attitude and damage record." Erza explained as she gave the blonde a smile, their eyes locking as Lucy began to calm down.

"Hey, what-if" Gray began as his hands moved to his face, most likely to rub his eyes, only for him to be interrupted by the PA system of the train.

"Attention all passengers! We shall be pulling into the station within the next ten minutes, please return to your cabins. That will be all, thank you for choosing Heartfilia Railways..." The PA voice said over the speakers, making Lucy wince at hearing her last name, before feeling some sort of calamity.

She had finally broken away from her past. She has said what has needed to be said, but more importantly, she was finally free from her father's grasp.

Gray looked around the cabin, unsurprised to see Cana and Gloria gone, but he was slightly confused to see the small, almost nonexistent smirk on Erza's face. Until a smile of his own appeared, glad that they were less anxious about the whole Natsu situation.

Indistinct chatter could be heard outside the door, making everyone turn to look at the door, until Gray recognized the voice, stretching his arms above his head before crossing them behind his neck, relaxing as he waited for the train to dock.

Both Erza and Lucy watched, as the door opened, revealing a sober Cana and Gloria, confusing both of them, before the Scarlet haired Knight sighed, having had long since learned that Cana was a bit of a loose cannon. Unpredictable, and dangerous.

"You were right to stay here, the bar was a drag, the strongest thing they had was nine percent alcohol," Cana whined as she flipped onto the seat beside Lucy, while Gloria carefully walked past Gray, before sitting in between the knight and the Iceman, silently folding her hands on her lap as they waited.

It didn't take long for them to leave the train, as none of them, even Gloria, had any luggage to their name, as they all began to walk towards the guild, glad that there wasn't any rumor or chatter being thrown through the streets. Rather the civilians began to cheer, glad that their resident guild had won.

Gloria watched, amazed, as some of the children began to run towards them, talking with the mages around her that had stopped, while parents watched on without a worry on her children, however, left just as quickly as they came.

"What was that?" Gloria asked curiously as they continued on towards the guild.

"That's what happens when a guild and community work hand in hand to create a safe, but an enjoyable environment," Erza explained, a small smile on her lips as everyone was once again happy.

"The crime rates in Magnolia are pretty low for such a big city, and it's all that matters to us," Gray explained with a calm, almost too cool look on his face as he turned to the assistant.

"Yep, and Gray hasn't been arrested for stripping for five months now," Cana added in, a shit eating grin on her face as she looked around the city, wondering what was wrong with her, to want to leave such an amazing place.

She also ignored the intense glare Gray sent her way, as the Iron columns that turned Fairy Tail's guild hall into a giant plunk game came into view, standing above all the buildings

"What's that?" Gloria asked curiously as she pointed towards the sky, making everyone present sigh as they realized she was pointing to their ruined guild hall.

"That, was the beginning of our guild war. A dude named Gajeel completely wrecked our guild hall," Gray explained as he shoved his hands into his pockets, glad that he no longer felt a burning anger in his chest, but acceptance.

"Wow..." Gloria said, shocked as they got closer and closer to the guild hall, by now only one or two blocks away, and allowing her to see the sheer size of the iron poles, penetrating through the walls of their home. They were _massive_ , appearing to be almost two, or even three feet in diameter, and at least twenty feet long...

"Gajeel is a very strong mage in his own right, it is simply a shame he was lead astray," Erza commented as they were walking towards the hall, surprised to see that they had already begun clearing the rubble.

Elfman was a machine, breaking and clearing lumber and wrought iron left and right, literally throwing the construction material into seperate piles, where others like Bisca and Alzack were searching through for usable material.

Macao, Wakaba and Mira with a certain cat on her shoulder were spread around a makeshift table, looking at drawings. Warren was standing furthest from the guild hall without impeding pedestrians, most likely using his telepathy to quickly and easily convey messages.

Laki, Sherry and Max were using their respective magic to move, and support the building as Elfman cleared the large Iron columns, and all the others were pitching in as well.

"Hey, look it's Erza!" Max called out making everyone stop and turn around, smiles growing on almost everyone's face when they saw their friends safe, and unharmed, some jaws even dropping when they saw Lucy's dress, looking like a princess among them.

But Mira was worried, her face becoming frantic when there was no visible sign of Natsu whatsoever, and her only saving grace, was the fact none of them had frowns on their faces , but were able to keep a smile on their face.

Mira quickly began to run forward, her arms shooting towards the bottom of her dress as she pulled the hem up, allowing her to run in heels without tripping, a feat that utterly astounded poor Gloria who could just barely walk in them On the best of days.

"Where's Natsu! Is he okay?" Mira asked as she almost barreled into the five, only stopped by Erza strong, but gentle hand on her shoulder as she looked into the Knights eyes.

"His current location is unknown, however, perhaps Cana could use her tarot cards and attempt to find him?" Erza offer as she returned the barmaid a stare, a message passing between the two women, while Gloria looked on, confused as she had never spent much time keeping up with guilds and mages.

The two women stood like that for an entire minute, staring into each other's eyes, communicating in ways only the best of friends could while everyone else stayed silent, the Fairies beginning to gather in front of the now construction site as they too awaited for the news.

"What happened out there?" Mira asked softly as she turned her gaze to her feet, while Erza curled her arm around the platinum haired model before leading everyone back to the guild, prompting everyone to silently funnel into the basement one by one, as they left the falling sun.

"I take it that someone explained what happened in Oaktown?" Erza asked as she, along with Gray, Cana and Mira stood behind the same makeshift bar from before, as everyone present sat at table, on the floor or decided to stay standing, including Gloria and Lucy, who had snagged some wooden boxes.

"After leaving the aphabtom Lord Guildhall, we immediately proceeded to the train station, taking the most direct route to the Heartfilia Estate. And by the time we got there, Natsu had already defeated a foe. Who, is still unsure as there was no body, only an explosion of fire." Erza began, unaware that she had everyone's undivided attention with her decent story telling skills, while Mira and Cana began on the locating spell.

"Once arriving at the gates, we were quickly let in by Gloria Kuidori," Erza featured towards the brunette, making everyone turn to her, and exchanging their own greetings in a way similar to a support group circle.

"Because Natsu and Jose were already engaged in combat, their magic shaking and literally reshaping the ground around them." Erza continued after the greetings, making some Fairies eyes widen in excitement, realizing they were reaching the climax of the story.

"But, unfortunately, we could not rush to assist, with Lucy missing and a platoon of Rune knights charging the battle field, we-" Erza began only to be cut off by an excited Cana, drawing attention to the lush who was staring at her cards with an equally excited Mira beside her.

The two women quickly looked at eachother, Mira's eyes narrowing when she realized that Cana was just as glad, and excited that they had located Natsu, safe and sound.

"We found him, he's near... Clover town?" Cana asked aloud, but to no one in particular as she reshuffled her cards before repeating the process, confident in the silence of the room even though literally everyone was staring at her.

"Cana?" Erza asked questioningly as she stared at the brunette, unable to deny presence of relief in her system once they had announced Natsu's safety. But that would be normal if they were just friends, but her anxiety as to where he was had begun to tear her up inside, hidden from years of practice.

"He's near clover town... But why, isn't that north of Heartfilia estate?" Cana asked herself, but everyone heard he in the son of the room, making Erza requip a map, before laying it across the bar, while Macao, Wakaba and Warren walked forward.

"Are you sure it's clover town?" Warren asked as the approaching fairies crossed around the bar, each of them trying to figure out what could have been near Clover town that would cause Natau to go so far off course.

"Yeah, hold on..." Cana trailed off as she started the whole process again, while Wakaba, Warren and Macao began to talk amongst themselves, pondering if there was an emergency guild masters meeting, until they remembered that they destroyed the last building.

And that was what the room was like for the next few minutes, quite chatter here and there, while Cana attempted to get an exact read on Natsu's location.

"Nope, he's still near Clover town... What the hell is he doing over there?!" Cana asked frustratedly while Mira patted the irate woman on the shoulder, at least glad he was safe as she began to walk towards the drinks, pouring a beer for them while everyone waited for Erza to finish the story.

"Now where was I? Erza thought aloud while everyone retook their seats, while Mira walked around, tending to her friends, and finding it easier to cope with her nerves that way.

"Right! This marriage was a lot more important than we first thought, as either the princess or king were in attendance, and thus, their regiment of Rune knights. I went to aid Natsu, while Gray searched for Gray with Gloria's aid... And Cana went to distract the Rune knights..." Erza trailed off as she looked towards both mages, unsurprised when neither wanted to tell their own story.

"Wait, if you with with Natsu... How did he get away without you knowing?..." Warren asked before trailing off, his young agile mind already coming upon a conclusion.

"Because I was unable to join Natsu in combat. Their fight was surrounded in a large dome of wine red fire, spanning what appeared to be a kilometer in diameter," Erza explained with a slightly disappointed sigh, feeling bad that she was unable to aid her comrade in battle.

"So you couldn't see anything?" Bisca asked curiously in the silence that had followed, making everyone e turn to those who were present, slightly annoyed to see them all shake their heads.

But only Mira noticed Erza's tell, her eyes slightly shifted above everyone, making it appear as if she was looking at her guildmates, when she was actually looking at the wall just above their also used a physical response, rather than verbal, something she would rarely ever do outside a field of combat, and that only made Mira feel worried once more.

'Just what did you see in there, that made you lie to everyone? Even if Natsu is coming, what the hell happened in there?' Mira thought worriedly as she continued to look at Erza, until being snapped out of her gaze when Lucy called her over, asking for a drink.

"So what happened next?" Macao asked, his voice bringing everyone attention back to Erza, curious as to how such a fight would end.

"We waited outside the dome, sound of combat and speech becoming less frequent, until there was absolutely silence. The dome then began to shrink slowly, but the ground was not burnt. And by the time it had reached the size of a person, it dispelled completely, leaving an injured, burnt Jose lying on the ground, but Natsu was nowhere in sight," Erza finished, making some, like Max and Droy to fall of their seats comically, disappointed at such an end.

"So that's what happened to Jose? Beaten like the rest of us," a deep, growly voice said making everyone's heads shoot towards the staircase, with even Gray and Elfman rushing forward, shocked to see not one, but two shouettes in the dark.

"You have to the count of five to state your name and business," an irate Erza said as she walked towards Elfman and Gray, prompting more mages to follow up til the fairies crowded the bottom of the stair case.

"Come on Titania, it's hasn't even been an entire day..." Gajeel ground out as he stepped into the light, making everyone summon their magic and prepare their weapons, worried that he was attempting to fight again.

"Calm down... Now state your business." Erza demanded as Gray stepped to the side, allowing Erza to walk up the first three steps, stopping just four away from the Iron dragon.

"My business is only with the salamander," Gajeel said shortly, their interactions very awkward, especially with what happened not even six hours earlier. The air was silent as Erza mulled over Gajeel's response, leaving the silence very tense.

"...very well. And you?" Er,a asked, shocking practically everyone behind her, while the red head turned towards the other silhouette, that slowly made its appearance.

"Juvia is here to apologize, Juvia was unaware of your bonds... And Juvia only wishes to have those same kind of bonds," Juvia began , quickly losing her confidence when she could practically feel the fairies hate wafting off them in waves, her voice drifting off until only Erza and Gajeel were able to hear her, the latter being equally surprised, as she had never mentioned that earlier.

"Very well then, Juvia, the decision is not up to myself, however, Master should be in tomorrow, correct Mira?" Erza finished ished, a small smile on her face as she saw one more life that Natsu had a positive impact on, honestly quite shocked at how many people he has got to join.

"What?! Erza! Come on, you can be saying what I think you are!" Gray butt in, not even allowing Mira to answer the Knights question as he took a step up the stairs, looking the experiencedagr in the eyes.

"Yes, I am." Erza ground out, her voice steely and hard as she looked around all the other mages, just daring them to try and dispute her decision, before finally turning to Mira, and subsequently the blue cat that had stayed on her shoulder the entire time, showing he was smart enough to sense to mood, and not say something.

"Aye Sir! Porly-usica said that Natsu had just barely saved the old coots life, and that he should be fully recovered within a few days!" Happy announced, raising a paw in the air almost like a salute, making poor Gloria's eyes practically hop out of her socket when the talking blue cat, then jumped off of Mira shoulders, _flying_ over to Lucy.

"Good, come on everyone, let's sit back down, and rest, construction starts tomorrow." Erza announced, ignoring some groans of annoyance as everyone returned to their seats, leaving Erza, Juvia, and Gajeel on the staircase while Gray sat on a wine barrel at the bar.

"Please come back tomorrow, there's an inn two blocks over to the left..." Erza said with a blank look on her face, as she watched both phantoms knod, glad that neither of them were disheartened, but she was shocked when she watched Gajeel turn around, noticing the missing Guild Mark from his shoulder.

"Seriously Erza! You can be thinking about those two joining! Gajeel beat up team shadow gear, and ruined our guild hall!" Gray argued once he was certain the PHA toms had left, and when Erza had made her way towards the bar.

"Ultimately, what I, or even you think is inconsequential towards Master's decision. But, please try and remember that Gajeel was the one who let us escape their guild hall... Which probably even saved Makarov's life," Erza explained with a small glare towards the ice mage, as she sat on a wooden box by the bar, waiting patiently for Mira to bring her some cheese cake.

Erza's statement had left everyone pensive, as they thought about what she had said, and were annoyed to find some truth in her words. But what they mostly agreed on, even if they weren't aware of the fact, was that he had not yet made up for his past mistakes.

* * *

And onto the Reviews!

Natsuharemfan-39/31- They probably will, but whether or not I will delve into those PoV's now, will probably be a no for a long-term thing, especially with how far off the Tartarus arc was original. Might Natsu be able to Help Flare with her magic? perhaps, could he, or has he, maybe not. I might throw that flashback in later if it happened at all.

Guest- Thank you for your compliment. I appreciate that you took the time to write a review :D

UchihaAngel98- Perhaps I did rush bringing END into the fanfic. But, if you remember chapter one when Lisanna died? That's when Natsu hair gained its black tips. And that was really the start of it, whatever it is. I also remember Korusaki's Christmas chapter, where Natsu was openly conversing with END, mentally, of course. I honestly didn't plan it, it just happened, and i ran with it. I just hope it isn't this fic's killing blow.


	41. A Sticky Situation

And Onto the Story!

It had been an hour since the visit from the two phantoms and most of the Fairies had left for their own homes, leaving Gray, Cana, Mira, Erza, Gloria, and Happy the last ones at the guild, since everyone else had gone home for rest, so that they could finish clearing debris tomorrow.

Mira was walking around the bar, and dining area sweeping, but missing her usual smile on her face as the present mages watched on, worried about the usually happy woman.

But none had the courage to ask, especially when they were part of the reason she was so anxious. Because they weren't able to bring Natsu back home. But the platinum model wasn't the only woman with trouble on their mind, and they could no longer hold it in, no matter what others told them.

"I'm SORRY!" Lucy blurted in the silence, making everyone turn to her, but she continued before any could quell her worries. "I know that it's not my fault and that there was nothing I could do, but he is my father, and therefore my responsibility!" Lucy blurted out as she looked around the room, ignoring Gloria's confused face.

"I should have told you guys that I ran away, and explained what was going on, and for that, I was sorry." Lucy finished making Erza smile as she got up from the bar, and walked towards the table Lucy, Gray and Gloria were sitting at.

"You done?" Gray asked from his seat on the bench, making Erza glare at him, while Gloria punched him in the shoulder, causing a grimace to pass over his face making everyone present smirk.

"Lucy, everyone has the right to keep things to themselves, especially since this was a private matter you could not predict. However... Your apology is accepted." Erza replied making Lucy return a smile, tight-lipped as it was as she nodded her head before Erza turned to Gloria.

"And I believe, we owe you," Erza said as she turned to Gloria, her inquisitive tone spiking Mira's interest.

"Well, I made the deal with Natsu," Gloria explained, only to turn to Mira, befuddled when the woman let out a sigh, making her turn to Erza for answers.

"What has my idiot boyfriend done now?" Mira asked exasperatedly as she leaned her broom and pan against a nearby table before walking towards them and sitting down beside Erza, and across from Gray, Lucy and Gloria, leaving Cana at the bar, who lounged back on her stool, placing her elbows the bartop behind her with her legs crossed.

"It's nothing bad! He needed my help to find Lucy covertly, so he promised to help my friend. He said you knew some pretty good healers?" Gloria said, finishing off with a question as she looked around the room.

"We do, speaking of healers, how's Ur?" Gray asked as he turned to Mira, positive that she had checked in at some point, being the busybody she has been since Lisanna.

"She's stable, where is your friend now?" Mira replied as she turned to Gloria, hoping that Natsu had maybe known of her location, and attempted to retrieve them.

"She's at a treatment facility in crocus, that's why I was working for Jude," Gloria explained making Lucy sigh, glad that she wasn't accepting of his plans, but forced to follow through.

"Do you believe that Jude will risk their life for vengeance?" Erza asked inquisitively as she looked at the two women who probably knew her best.

Lucy and Gloria looked at eachother, making Gray lean back annoyed that they were doing that weird woman thing again.

"Okay, with your permission Erza," Gray asked only to be cut off when Erza raised her hand, nodding to the ice mage making a smile cross his face, while Gloria looked between the two, hope clear on her face, which showed just how dear this woman was to her.

Mira just sighed as she arched her back, audible, but dull cracks behind heard as she releases her stress, as she released a yawn, allowing them to see just how tired she was. Her makeup could no longer hide the bags forming under her eyes.

"Mira, perhaps you should head home, I'll close the guild for you?" Erza offered, making Mira turn to her, the bags under her eyes more visible than ever.

"No! Sorry... I have to be here when Natsu gets back, I need to make sure he's okay. He'll say he's fine even if he has a knife in his gut," Mira explained, her tone inconsistent and almost frantic.

"Mira, I'm sure that flame brained idiot is just-" Gray began, only to be cut off by a very scary, and familiar glare from Mira, one that barely ever sees the light of day.

"No, Gray, you don't get to just sit there, and say he'll be fine without a worry on your mind. He's been out there all day, risking his life for everyone else... And you know what... Sometimes I don't think you deserve it." Mira said, her voice soft but her message powerful.

Gray, Cana, and Erza were shocked by her statement, even if in the back of their mind they agreed with the message.

"Mira," Erza bit out with her eyes narrowed, understanding that she was upset, but it gave her no right to take it out on everyone else.

"I-'m sorry, it's just that-" Mira rambled, ashamed of herself for attacking her friends and family like that, almost saying she wished them dead, only to be cut off by Cana, once again proving that fairies really have no manners.

"No, no. You're one hundred percent right. We don't deserve it. But think of it as a new leaf to turn over. Because I think we all know he earned their respective today." Cana explained as she got off her box and approached the table, before placing her palms on each corner and looking at the model.

"But, for our credit Natau barely ever came around after... And nobody had the chance to see how he grew and developed. And you just kept him to yourself." Cana finished making Mira's eyes shoot open while everyone else just looked at her completely shocked, especially Lucy, and Erza.

"C'mon Cana, don't tell me you have a thing for that flame brain too?" Gray asked, shocked, and worried because if so, this situation was about to become quite explosive... For everyone.

But out of everyone at the table, only Mira had any idea as to why Cana had this sudden change in emotion and stance. But Cana gave no reply, instead almost acting as if she never heard him at all, continuing to stare at Mira, who was now more conflicted than before, especially since she knew very well why anyone would fall for the saint because she had herself.

"I know that every time he did come in the guild, it was never an ideal situation... But," Cana said, ending on a conjunction and leaving everyone on the edge of their seats as they tried to follow her train of thought as she walked towards the exit, leaving the room entirely enveloped in a very uncomfortable, and tense silence.

And it stayed like that, until Cana bolted down the stairs, taking three at a time without fault as she sprinted towards the table, making everyone immediately jump out of their seats, worried that maybe Juvia and Gajeel had a change of heart, and were waiting to corner them.

"It's Natsu, I think I see him!" Cana explained, her voice calm but her eyes frantic as everyone shot towards the stairs, leaving Lucy and Gloria in the dust as they ran at the normal human speed, and only taking one step at a time, leaving them the last to see the night sky.

And the burning ball of bright orange fire shooting down from the sky bright even from over a few kilometers away, like a comet or meteor, making all pedestrians and citizens get into the closest building or shop, all working together to get to safety, entrusting Fairy Tail without any doubts that they would be safe.

"I think you may be right..." Erza trailed off as she requipped a pair of binoculars before raising them to her face, paying attention to the distance scale at the bottom left corner of the lacrima, quickly noticing he was only about a kilometer away in distance, but easily a thousand feet in the air, and it quickly became evident he wasn't using his flame body.

Erza lowered her set of binoculars, before noticing Mira's dangerous stare, making Erza sigh as she handed it over to more, who quickly raised them, instantly getting sight of her boyfriend, and feeling less stress than before. No longer worrying about the other women or his health. She was just glad he was coming home, just as he had promised.

Gray was less invested in Natsu's health, as he stood there, looking lazily into the air with his hands in his pockets, and Gloria at his side, before he noticed the sheer velocity Natsu was traveling at.

"Shit!" Gray cried out as he quickly sprung into action, calling upon his ice make magic before slamming his hands on the ground, concentrating as little by little weak, but cold ice sprung from the ground before continuing to grow in a fifteen metre length, continuing to rise above three feet before stopping just short of four, confusing Gloria and Lucy, while the others paid him no attention.

"Wait, what's wrong? What are you doing?" Lucy asked as both she and Gloria rushed to his side, confused when they same hi. Raise himself to his knees before watching as the dome began to grow larger, taller perimeter walls, causing Lucy to finally catch on.

"Backup!" Lucy cried out as she grasped Gloria's hand, pulling the woman back towards the piles of scrap in front of the guild hall, realizing that the speed and sheer heat Natsu's landing would produce could completely scorch, and possibly kill them, if not for Gray's intriguing Landing Pad.

Mira continued to watch as Natsu began his descent, gravity now aiding his path as he reached terminal velocity, fire beginning to form simply because his clothing was burning due to the sheer heat, but a smile grew on her face as she realized he was simply consuming the flames as he shot down.

Once he was about three hundred meters in the air he shot another ball of fire towards the ground, creating an explosion as it hit the landing pad, creating an upward force that almost completely slowed his descent, producing steam and completely hiding Natsu's landing as everyone could hear a grinding, brutal crack.

"Heaven's wind!" Cana called out as she threw a card above the stream, causing a gust of wind that completely dispelled the steam, revealing a pale, panting Natsu on his hands and knees, on the ground, having had completely melted through the ice, but leaving no damage to the ground itself.

"Oh my God, Natsu!" Mira cried as she threw the binoculars to the side, before sprinting forward while Erza requipped her flame empress sword, completely forgetting that it had melted back at the Heartfilia estate, glaring down at the melted handle.

Cana, however, quickly caught on, before searching through her card bag for something that would aid in Natsu's recovery.

"Sun's Strength!" Cana called out as she threw three cards directly above Natsu's head with a scary precision, before quickly getting worried when Mira showed no sign of stepping back or stopping. The cards quickly turned into dozens of flame like bullets, while Natsu exhaustedly opened his mouth, making the bullets meld together and forming a stream of fire as they steered clear of Mira's body and into his open maw, right before he was tackled in a hug.

The second Natsu's body touched the ground Lucy began running forward, hiking her dress up to her thighs, not even caring what anyone would see, since most of Magnolia was inside anyway. Thus, prompting Cana, and Erza to approach the wizard saint themselves, at their own, staggering speeds, leaving both Gray, and Gloria standing in the back, worried looks on their faces as they all stumbled to a worrying conclusion.

"Hey Mira, I'm okay... I'm sorry it took so long, but... I lo-" Natsu began to explain, before remembering that he really had no good reason to explain what happened, but didn't need to worry since the model quickly cut him off by slamming her lips upon his, not even caring about any audience they may have had.

Natsu, like any straight male with a gorgeous woman on them, was quickly shut off from the rest of the world, entirely lost in her kiss, and passion. Erza, was the first to arrive by their side, followed by Cana, and Lucy who all stood there, watching with their own conflicting hearts as they watched someone they cared about, make out with someone they liked.

And they stood there, for three more minutes as they continued to make out, before Mira finally pulled away, both of their chests heaving in an attempt to get the oxygen back in their bodies before Natsu slowly took notice of the other three.

"Hi...?" Natsu said startled as he brought his right hand out to wave, before easily raising himself to a sitting position, Mira easily adjusting so that she was straddling his lap as she laid her head on his right shoulder, simply comforted by his presence, and warmth.

The three women, from the less intimate position, quickly took notice of the tattoo now sitting upon his right arm, something that now symbolized END's constant presence in Natsu's mind and body, not that they were aware anyways. But they took little notice of it,

But nobody, nobody was more worried and scared than Erza, her mind instantly flashing back to that demonic figure from within the dome, her eyes shooting open in panic as she connected the dots, her heart torn when she realized Natsu's ungodly strength may have stemmed from _that._ whatever _that_ is. She looked as so conflicted she didn't notice Gray, Gloria and everyone else once again trickle into the basement, her mind entirely consumed with the question, does she ask?

 **Natsu's PoV**

"So, uh... How's everyone been?" Natsu asked awkwardly as his side of the bench was packed with Mira on his left, holding his arm. Cana was on his right, practically pressed against him with Lucy beside her, with Gray and Gloria sitting across from them.

"That's what we're supposed to be asking you... What the hell happened back there, where did you disappear to, and what the hell were those flames." Gray listed off as Mira contently held onto Natsu's arm, too euphoric to care about the details, as of right now. Because Natsu was safe, he loved her, and that was all that mattered.

"Right... What happened... Do you, like, want the full story... Or-" Natsu rambled, making Erza raise her brow, listening to them as she walked down the stairs, giving the women surrounding Natsu and inquisitive stare while Gloria looked at the Scarlet haired woman, Lost daring her to sit by Mira's side.

"Short version. Start with that first explosion. Not too much detail, it's late." Gray explained as he glared at the pinkette while crossing his arms, for once Erza was not taking control, showing that she too had learned, and grown.

"So, you want to hear about the assassin's too?" Natsu asked making everyone, including Mira, shoot straight in their seats, unaware of that certain critical detail, as everyone stared wide-eyed at the pinkette, but only Lucy's eyes began to tear up, realizing that her father had specifically hired people, to kill her friends.

"Yes! Explain, now." Erza bit out as she slowly slid into the bench across from Natsu, staring at the man as she began to slowly inspect him for injuries, only to appear as if she was checking the man out due to his state of undress, not that he was at fault.

"I arrived at the mansion, fought this bird, owl dude with a jetpack. Then I ran into this swordswoman, who may have been up there with you, from what I could tell." Natsu explained with a quick glance towards Erza, making everyone begin to search him for injuries with their eyes, scanning his body for any puffy scars or any mark that would a recent injury, mostly Mira, who slid her hand across his torso with her eyes closed, searching for a new scar.

"I gave her ten million jewels to back off, then retrieved Lucy," Natsu explained, once again shocking everyone present, when he turned to the buxom blonde, his eyes widening and his brows furrowed when he saw the tear tracks on her face but decided not to take attention to her plight until he could talk to her later on.

"I tried to escape back to Magnolia, but Jose was too quick, so I flew as far into the property, and as far from people as possible, making sure to put Lucy somewhere safe," Natsu explained making everyone nod their head, glad that there weren't any more deathly surprises.

"The guest house," Gray commented making Natsu nod in affirmation, while everyone else simply watched and listened.

"Anyways, we began to fight, we were fairly even in output, then he pulled out some death magic crap, which was total-" Natsu began to explain before everyone turned to Gray, who had literally fallen from his seat in shock, caught in an awkward position at the park bench, like table.

"He used death magic?!" Mira screamed in shock, realizing that this day was much more dangerous for him than any of them could have ever imagined, and thus making her that much happier he had gotten home safe.

"Yep, then we took the fight to the ground, and he was getting angrier, and I was worried he would try and sneak off, so I used my melting fire to set up a dome, protecting the area while keeping him trapped," Natsu explained making Erza nod her head, as it was an apt, but weird description for the fire.

 **"Melting Fire?! Are you fucking kidding me! You're calling my curse... Our curse... The one specifically designed for us, and that made us the strongest etherious, a melting fire?!"** END raged from inside Natsu's mind, the sheer anger and raged being put out by END equaling the mind-numbing strength of a migraine, making Natsu wince, trying his very hardest to hide the demon inside until he could figure out what he should do.

"That makes sense, I attempted to cut through it with my fire empress sword and ended up losing the entire blade, but it gave off no heat," Erza explained at the exact same time, pulling the handle out and placing it in the middle of the table, shocking Gray and Mira, as no fire had every damaged the blade before.

"Right, well, then we fought, I won, and I closed the dome before leaving," Natsu explained with a wince as he still hadn't fully recovered from END's rage, plus, he would then have to explain, why, he left.

Gray picked up on Natsu's lack of comfort, crossing his arms over his bare chest as his eyes narrowed.

"Totally... So you defeated the element four and Gajeel. Then, you healed all our guild members, ran off, defeated a bird man, encountered an assassin-" Gray listed off in an unbelieving tone, only to be cut off by Natsu, who deemed it necessary to put in his two sense.

"Actually, the Birdman was an assassin too, in actuality there were three," Natsu commented making him Gray uncrossed his arms and place his palms on the table before rising in his seat.

"Who were they," Mira asked, her cute, calm voice as she looked adoringly up at Natsu, somehow clearing some of the tension in the room, as Gray sighed.

"I think... They were from Death's Head caucus or something, I'm not too familiar with their guild mark, but I'd recognize it if I saw it again," Natsu said, making Mira's eyes shoot open as she reached into her bosom, narrowly drawing Gray's eyes if it wasn't for Natsu's stern, daring glare. A second later she pulled out a light pen, before beginning to draw the symbol in the air.

But, what they all forgot, was that her drawing skills were subpar, her drawing ending up looking like a blob, but fortunately, it was close enough.

"Yes!" That's it." Natsu said with a smile as he tilted his head before placing a gentle kiss on her forehead, making a genuine smile bloom on her face. And for Gray, at least, public displays of affection would usually bother him, but the smile on Mira's face more than made up for that. After seeing her so upset, for hours... It was nice to see her happy.

The others girls except for Gloria were also bothered by it, but for nowhere near the same reason.

But then something clicked for Erza.

"Wait... You said there was a swordswoman, a birdman... Did you ever see the last guy?" Erza asked catching everyone's attention as she closed her eyes, trying to remember if she had kept the book in her requip space or not.

"I did... But only his figure. Definitely scrawny, but he was wearing a dark black ragged cloak, like a monk or something." Natsu replied making Erza let out a sigh as she reopened her eyes.

"You just paid off Trinity raven... The strongest of deaths head caucus." Erza said making Mira pale, while Natsu's lips tightened, very, very glad he had paid them off rather than attempting to fight them.

"Who's death's Head caucus, and what's Trinity raven?" Lucy asked making the more experienced mages kick themselves mentally, having had forgotten that not everyone was as informed as they were.

"Lucy, death's Head caucus is one of the most revered assassin guilds ever," Erza replied making the eyes of the blonde shoot open before turning to Natsu, her mouth moving almost incoherently as she realized Natsu was very, very lucky today...

"If you thought Erigor then shinigami was scary... These guys could defeat him in their sleep," Gray replied making Lucy's hands begin to shake.

"Each of the three in Trinity Raven, are ranked at least as an S-Class wizard... And remember the Cambria war? They were the ones who completely annihilated the western force, every ranked commander and soldier on the field... But it was said that one of the original members died in that fight," Cana commented making Lucy's hands tremble even further, while Gloria began to feel anger build in her chest, confused, and annoyed as to why they were scaring her like this.

She was about to jump up, and yell at the mages for intimidating their friend like this, only she couldn't. She leaned back to look Inder the table and was annoyed to see that there were shackles of fire, holding her feet, and legs down, making her turn her glare to the pinkette responsible, only to see him shake his head.

"These are the type of people our guild deals with. Our strength as a family and our own is what makes us the strongest guild in Fiore. Which is why I want to revisit our offer from earlier." Natsu said making Lucy's hands immediately stop shaking as she looked to Natsu, hope clear as the day upon her face.

"Yes, please... I need your help, I need all of your help," Lucy said as she looked around the table, making each and every mage there smile, glad she was looking to grow as a mage.

"I was captured because I was too weak to fight on my own. Too long have I relied on my friends to fight for me. So please... teach me," Lucy said, a smile grew on her face when she saw everyone at the table smile... Leaving Gloria utterly confused as to what the hell was going on.

Natsu turned to Mira, staring into her eyes as he considered his next move, especially since he had to stay around the guild more, and stay out of the spotlight, something that would now seem almost impossible with the upcoming legalities.

But then he turned to Cana, a silent plea being passed between them before she nodded her head.

"We start tomorrow," Cana said making Lucy smile as she stood up, preparing to go home now that everything was dealt with, wanting to make sure she was completely aware and ready for tomorrow, meaning she had to get as much sleep as possible, her hands moving towards her bosom, and pulling her keys out, and clenching them in her hand.

"Lucy, wait," Natsu said as he flashed away from the chair before appearing a foot behind her, with his hand wrapped gently around her right forearm, making everyone interested in what he would say next.

"I'm going to have to testify to the council about what happened earlier... Simply because Jude hired the assassin's, he can face up to ten years in prison... So what do you want me to say?" Natsu asked making everyone's eyes shoot open, while Mira simply sighed, realizing she may have to have a talk with the other girls and figure out what's going on...

Because they're a family, and you don't want to hurt your family, even though they seem to be crushing on your boyfriend, really hard.

Lucy was the most shocked, having had been trained to the fact that she may not see her father again, because at the end of the day she still loved him, even with all his faults. But the fact Natsu was willing to lie to the council, for her sake, made her head feel a weird sense of euphoria.

Something that caused her to turn around and tackle him in a hug, wrapping her arms around his solid, scarred chest and pressing her head upon his shoulder, hiding her face as she hid the tears rolling down her face.

Natsu arms were held out straight, before he slowly, and carefully wrapped them around the blonde, keeping his right hand on her waist and his left upon her shoulder, as he sent a look towards Mira, who nodded her head.

Gray slowly stood up, the exhaustion of the day almost catching up to him as he let out a yawn, before extending his hand towards Gloria, who looked at it confused.

"I have a spare room in my house, if you want to stay, for the night I mean," Gray said, for once losing his cool and calm bravado making a small smirk appear upon the assistants face while a devious grin appeared on Mira's, when Gloria took his hand before he lead her out of the room, giving Natsu a nod as he went past before leaving the guild entirely.

And now Natsu was the only guy left, surrounded by four beautiful women, a fact Natsu could really care less about. Because to him, they were just women, they were people, his friends, and his family.

Cana burst into laughter exactly a minute after Gray left the room, as she smoothly slid into the bench, completely amused by Gray's less than smooth moves, making Lucy finally pull her had out of Natsu's shoulder.

"Wait where did Gr-... Oh." Lucy asked as she came upon a single conclusion, a small smile growing on her face when she imagined the two together and feeling glad that something good had come of all this, hoping that Gray had maybe found his rock in the stormy sea of life.

"So, what do you want me to do?" Natsu interrupted as he looked down at the blonde in his arms, his eyes catching hers as he felt an interesting stirring in his chest, a feeling that had been coming around ever since he had begun to learn more about the women around him.

Lucy was lost in his eyes, those onyx, coal black eyes. A color that generally resonated with darkness and evil. But this man alone had begun to teach her the beauty of black. She breathed in deeply as she mulled over his question, her cheeks burning when she felt her bosom press against Natsu's toned chest, feeling almost as if she were pressed against a wall, rather than hugging a friend.

And Natsu was equally as flustered, his bare skin feeling her chest rub against him, before he remembered who he was with, but more importantly fly who was watching.

"I want you to tell the truth," Lucy said after dispelling the air inside her lungs, shocking Natsu. "It's not that I hate my father, nor do I want to see him hurt, even after everything has happened. But I don't want you to get in trouble for lying, especially when he is to blame. You've done so much for me, giving me a family..."

"And I can't take advantage of your kindness, and make an honest man lie. But thank you for thinking of me." Lucy explained as she gave a side glance towards Mira, before slowly rising up on her toes, and placing a chaste kiss on his cheek, making Mira sigh... A reaction that confused everyone present.

She then stepped back, before going back to the table, leaving Natsu standing alone, his eyes searching out Mira's, worried that she would be mad at him, especially after witnessing some of Gildarts less than successful escapades...

But he was confused to see her meet his eyes with a smile before she stood up and walked towards him, making his hands shake, worried that she was about to do something to him.

But he was surprised when she placed her hands upon his biceps, going up on her tippy toes as she put her mouth beside her ear.

"Just go home and get some rest okay? The girls will help me clean up, we can talk tomorrow alright?" Mira said softly in his ear, making Natsu release a sigh of relief before he turned his head placing a kiss upon Mira's full lips, conveying both his love and appreciation towards her, before disappearing in a flash of fire, that quickly shot up the stairs in a nanosecond.

 **Mirajane's PoV**

The demon turned model slowly turned around, looking at the woman at the table, before releasing a sigh, doing her best to remember that they were some of her closest friends, as she approached, before sitting beside Lucy, the room enveloped in a tense silence as they all waited for her to speak.

"We need to talk..." Mira began with a sigh, making everyone look at her, worried about where this would lead, especially since some of them still had their own demons to overcome.

"I'm not blind, I can see that you all care for him. So instead of waiting for this to get tense, and ugly. I need to know where you stand." Mira said shocking everyone in the room, none of which thought she would be so bold about this.

The model looked around the table, using her analytical skills, and people skills she learned after working for years at the bar to examine their reactions.

Erza was confused, her face a small scowl as she stared at her hands, revealing her softer side.

Cana was the most indifferent, and confident as she crossed her arms under her bikini top, her eyes trained on the model.

And Lucy was somewhere in between, her face saying one thing, but her eyes telling a completely different story.

"In a way... I can understand if you can't give me an answer as of now," Mira said with a sigh after a few minutes of silence as she sat back on the bench, placing her right arm above her left under her bosom, resting directly against her flat stomach.

"But you have to understand something. Natsu is a really nice guy, and he'll put someone's needs before his own, nine times out of ten. Even if that means he may die because of it. Natsu just sees people in trouble and has the honest desire to help others, even if they don't want it," Mira said with a side glance towards Cana on her last sentence, making the lush think back to when Natsu had helped her out of the hole.

"But he doesn't really pick up on crush's and emotions like that either, and he could very easily end up leading you on... Or maybe not, I don't have control over Natsu's life, and I obviously have no idea what's going to happen in the future either. And when you finally figure out what's going on in your own hearts... Just come talk to me? We're all family here," Mira said with a small smile while the other girls nodded their head, agreeing to her statement even though they would seemingly have no chance to do anything about it anyways.

"Oh please... And what are you suggesting? We share him?" Cana asked with a scoff as she shot out of her seat before leaving the bench, and pacing at its side, already realizing that he was practically her stepbrother, and if she were to date him... Where would that put her?

Erza and Lucy, however, reacted in favor or Cana's preposterous suggestion, their face's erupting in blushes so deep that they have never been seen by man before, steam rising from their heads as they imagined such a thing.

Mira was a little different, her confidence being lost to indecision, as she considered the actual repercussions of such a thing in modern society today. Polygamy wasn't illegal, but it wasn't entirely advertised either. Plus, there were only a few successful case studies ever recorded. Thus leaving her confused, while Cana gaped, staring at everyone in shock as they actually considered such a thing.

"Oh my Mavis, you can't all be serious?! Look at yourselves, look at what you're considering. Sure, it would be an amazing night, but could you do it? See the man you love with another, but to put up with it day in, and day out, forever?" Cana voiced making Lucy and Erza actually snap out of their lust induced coma's, rather than falling further into its golden promises.

"I... I don't know okay?! I don't want to, no... I can't lose Natsu, he's been the light in my life ever since Lisanna died." Mira shouted making everyone look at the woman, noticing the tears that were building up in her eyes.

"Natsu is an amazing man, something that is astonishing given who raised him through puberty... But he doesn't care about sex, he just cares about you. His kindness unending and his passion encompassing... I just don't want to lose him..." Mira explained as the dam finally let loose, the tears rolling down her cheeks honestly shocking both Cana and Erza, since they had never seen her cry since her sister died.

"Mira... What brought this up. Why are you doing this?" Cana asked as she sat back down, this time beside the barmaid as she engulfed the woman in a hug, resting her head upon her bosom, with her sexuality the last thing on anyone's mind.

"I'm scared okay! Natsu goes out, all the time trying to make the world a better place, and I respect that... But I have to stay here because I can't fight with him anymore. And he's out there, meeting soo, many other women... And... It..." Mira tries to explain, lifting her head up so that the others could hear her voice, before clenching Cana in a hug once more.

And the three women thought about Cana's statement... Because it made sense. Natsu was an insanely strong, kind, caring man that travels the world on a daily basis, saving people's lives. How easy would it be for him to go down Gildarts path? What if he gets drunk and loses control?

"I am deeply sorry Mira. I had never considered your side of the situation, please hit me," as she stood up out of her seat, only to get harshly glared at, by Lucy, of all people prompting her to sit down.

"What if we were to go out with Natsu? And watch him?" Lucy offered helpfully, forgetting Natsu's penchants to befriend everyone, especially women.

Mira let out a dull, and lifeless giggle, as she raised her head from Cana's shoulder.

"You know after Lisanna died... When I finally started talking to him... It only took me about a year or so to realize I was falling in love with him... It's crazy, he's so oblivious, and stupid sometimes, but that only makes me love him more," Mira said as she straightened herself

"So let's go back to my question... You can't seriously consider sharing him can you? Especially since I think there may be more than just us," Cana commented as she gestured around the room, making Mira sigh while some others stared in disbelief, because how could one man so perfectly, and unwittingly attract so many women?

Until they remembered his kindness, selflessness, and ability to forgive. Even Juvia seemed to have an interest in the man, and they had only met today, on different sides of the battlefield. But then so had Sherry and Ultear. Maybe even Yukino...

And then they began to get worried... The numbers could climb into the tens, the twenties even...

"Well, does it really matter? Natsu has a choice too... He has to reciprocate our feelings too," Lucy piped in softly, making Cana and Mira's eyes shoot open, while Erza got caught up in her mind once more, her face burning as she imagined Natsu being in the center of a mega-harem...

And finding herself somehow okay with it, even though it went against her traditional honor. Her penchants for lusty and erotic novels already exposing her to the situation they were in right now.

"You are right though... Hey Mira, how long can Natsu go for? With stamina like his..." Cana commented making everyone fall into the same rabbit hole as Erza, only they were able to climb out themselves.

But Mira was still unable to answer Cana's question, her face still like red-hot iron, steaming and glowing as she looked at her hands, her mind triggering some of what happened that night, and remembering what he made her...

"Oh... He's that good?" Cana commented, shocked. Mira had seen many, many men during her duties as a model, so Cana wouldn't expect she would be affected by the male body as much, but to be completely struck silent...

"Cana!" Lucy hissed, her own mind only controlled by the weight of the day as stared at the brunette, annoyed that she refused to stop talking about her sex life with the man in question... Even though she too was thrilled by the concept in the back of her mind.

But luckily Erza too was saved from her own mind, by Lucy's outburst. Her eyes began to focus as she looked around, her eyes moving towards the clock they had strung up above the bar, and cursing when she realized the time, drawing g the attention of the other girls.

"We should all go back to our homes... It's after one in the morning. Should we call this meeting adjourned?" Erza asked making the others look at her skeptically, agreeing that they should call it a night, but worried she considered this heart to heart; a meeting.

"What do you mean by meeting?" Lucy asked, befuddled by the Scarlet Knights train of thought.

"We are sitting down and discussing important matters, thus, a meeting." Erza declared resolutely, almost as if she was reciting a dictionary definition, making the other two roll their eyes.

"Then we end it with closing statements," Mira said, confusing the other two as to why she was delving into Erza's madness until they saw the look on her face.

"Take notice of how any woman interacts around Natsu, I don't care if they're enemy or foe, young or old, you need to watch how they react. We need to keep tabs and attempt to keep a tally of everyone that may fall for him. And that information will influence our decision." Mira explained as she looked around the table, her blank but confident face clashing with her exhaustion, making her look drunk or high, rather than in control.

"I will also try to carefully probe I to the situation with Natsu... And if the situation permits, do so as well. We must stay on top of this!" Mira declared with a glare around the table, her exhaustion permitting her basic nature to shine. Demonic, and scary...

"I concur, any other statements?" Erza asked as she looked around the table, ignoring Cana's exhausted eye roll.

"Very we-" Erza began about to end the meeting only to be cut off, making her eyes shoot towards the offender that dared challenge her authority, her personality demanding she is always in charge.

"Meeting adjourned." Mira declared as she tiredly stood up, before approaching the broom and pan, before carefully moving it towards the bar and setting it down, while everyone approached the stairs, ignoring Erza's annoyed gaze that was trained on the barmaid.

They went up the stairs silently, before pausing as Erza carefully moved the rubble with her telekinesis alone, as a kind of practice, as she carefully, but perfectly blocked the entrance to their guild, before turning around, and making her way to Fairy Hills, accompanied by both Cana and Mira, making Lucy watch with a small smile on her face as she turned around, and walked towards her apartment, just glad that it wasn't too far away.

 **The Next Day; Mira's PoV**

Mira had woken up just like she always had, to her alarm playing a soft, melodic toon, with the sun passing through the shades gently, and the smell of lavender and vanilla encourage passing her entirely.

She sat up rubbing her eyes, as she pulled her bed sheets down, her hair wild due to her sleep, and no longer as straight as it once was. She carefully and quietly got up, as to not wake up any of the other residents in Fairy Hills as she made her closet for her robe, unaware that her night clothes could even give a gay man some morning wood.

The way her plain, black panties sat on her ass, hugging but not pinching anything while her matching black bra did her body justice. The way it supported her breasts without being uncomfortable was honestly magic itself, as she slowly made her way towards her closet, her tight, and toned body practically glistened in the sunlight in a way that made her appear like a vampire.

But unfortunately, nobody was present to view this majestic sight, that was, in fact, her natural sleepwear, with her bead head finishing off her sexy 'i just woke up, and I don't care's vibe.

And so she went into the shower, making sure to carefully clean her skin and hair, before stepping out, her hand instantly going towards her lavender colored robe hanging on a hook, before wrapping herself in its fluffy, soft goodness as she continued her daily routine.

Before deciding to do something a little different, this time activating her curling iron, instead of her flattening one. And off it went, floating around her head and curling just the last five inches of her long platinum hair, the top of the line lacrima being self-driven, allowing her hands to do her makeup.

But, due to her pure natural beauty mixed with youth and healthy lifestyle, she had very little to do, just simple black mascara before she went to brush her teeth, leaving her lipstick for last.

And when she was finished the common two minutes to brush her teeth, her curling lacrima was done, but most importantly so was her hair. And then she went to apply a basic, but a gentle shade of pink lipstick, before throwing her hair in a general ponytail at the back.

She quickly got dressed in her work out clothes, a tight, pink sports bra and black yoga pants, as she walked out of her closet holding her yoga mat in her hands as she walked into her living room, before doing her daily exercise, with a smile on her face because Natsu was home, and he would be all day.

And then after about an hour of yoga, it was eight am in the morning, and time for her to go open the guild, wanting to prepare enough refreshments and snacks in the temporary basement kitchen for the guild members that were helping with reconstruction.

And by eight twenty, she was walking out the door, on her way to the guild, hearing the mumbling and bustling of the other fairy Hills residents beginning their own routines as well.

It only took her about eight minutes to get to the guild, just like clockwork, and she was ready to open for eight thirty, just like always.

But she had forgotten that the door was not locked because there was no door to lock, rather the outside basement entrance was clear and open, worrying the former S-class mage, who was certain she remembered Erza covering it in scrap wood, and metal pieces, hiding the entrance from sight

And so she carefully made her way down the stairs, her former training as an S-Class mage visible as she carefully, and perfectly scanned the room as she made her way down the stairs, only to spot a small white figure, upon the temporary bar top.

And Mira could not be any happier, because she instantly recognized the figure calmly, and slowly sipping a mug of beer.

"Master!" Mira cried as she ran down the stairs, before running towards the bar, her jubilant cry attracting the old man's attention as he calmly turned his head to the woman, a smile growing on his face when he saw the pure joy in her eyes.

"Good morning Mirajane... How has the conflict with Phantom Lord gone?" Makarov asked with a small sigh at the end, still mad at himself for falling into the phantoms trap like a bird in a cage, especially since he had just regained his health a few hours ago.

"We won, master, when did you wake up? Porylusica said you weren't going to be active for at least another day?" Mira asked curiously, making Makarov nod his head grimly, a small smile passing upon his face like a leaf in the wind, here one second and gone the next.

"I see, fortunately I was able to regain enough of my magic soon enough, thus accelerating my rate of healing," Makarov explained as he took another sip of beer, his eyes quickly scanning Mira's new black dress, still as modest and long as her pink dress, but this time of a gothic lolita style.

"Interesting... Well, would you like anything to eat master?" Mira asked with a gentle smile on her face as she walked around the bar, before scanning the number of glasses they still had, and frowning, worried as to how this would effect their guild for the next month.

"No, I am quite alright with this, my dear..." Makarov said with a smile in Mira's direction as he turned around on the bar so that he could watch over her as she prepared for the coming members.

And they sat in silence for thirty minutes, as Mira began to prepare sandwiches and lemonade for the guild members capable of helping with the guild deconstruction, and building. But Mira was curious about Makarov's mood, and why he was not even the least bit happier about their victory over Phantom Lord.

"Master, forgive me for asking... But why are you not happy that we defeated Phantom Lord?" Mira asked confusedly as she grabbed a cloth and began wiping her hands down while approaching the man in question.

"Because there are no winners when children are forced to fight to survive, for no other reason than arrogance and standing... Tell me, how did we win?" Makarov asked with a sigh as he set his mug of beer down on the wood beside him as he looked towards the woman.

"Well, Natsu returned in time, and was able to fight back their S-Class mages, including Jose," Mira said hesitantly, honestly worried where he was going with it, because nobody else other than Gildarts, or maybe Laxus could have pulled off such a feat.

"And did you ever stop to think how Natsu would have to fight their S-Class mages, to then defeat Jose almost right after? You forget the boy was trained to kill Dragons..." Makarov asked as he looked the woman in the eyes, watching as they shot open worried, perhaps even jumping to the conclusion of death, but she remained silent as she pondered his words.

"He most likely had to hit them before he got hit, but he had to make sure they stayed down, how do you think he fought the element four as a group and emerged victorious when they were in their element? And at what cost to us did we win? Money wasted on repairs, memories that can scar a child for their lives... No, nobody won this fight," Makarov said as sounds of people outside began to be heard before someone began to descend the steps.

They were wearing white baggy trousers, with brown cloth wrapped tightly around their shins, and brown Sandles on their feet. They were not totally visible just yet, but that didn't matter to Mira, as she recognized the man already.

"Natsu!" Mira cried as she ran around the bar, before jogging towards the stairs, the Pink Haired dragon slayer already waiting at the bottom of the stairs, giving her a hug the second she was within arm's reach.

"Good Morning Mira... It's good to see you're awake Gramps" Natsu said, pausing to press a kiss upon Mira's head before addressing the master, whom merely nodded his head with a grunt, making Natsu's smile thin into a blank face.

But when Mira looked up at him with a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye, there was no way he could be upset, a smile growing on his face once more as they walked towards the bar, arm in arm, before the pinkette took a seat while Mira began preparing some food for him.

"If you're worried about damages, I kept them as low as possible," Natsu said offhandedly as he turned his head towards his grandfather figure.

"And what is the state of their mages?" Makarov asked as he turned to a man he honestly considered his second grandson, worried that his anger overcame his sense of duty, but most importantly his kindness.

Mira listened to their talk as she worked at the small cooking lacrima they had set up, cooking some scrambled eggs and bacon, as she could do no more with their lack of utilities and equipment. And she was worried when Natsu did not answer the master immediately, realizing that Natsu may have done permanent damage.

"Nothing I can't fix..." Natsu said with a sigh as he his head back to Mira, his eyes shot open when he saw her quickly turn around, dropping the spatula on the floor as she looked at him.

"Do you intend to fix it?" Makarov asked, aware of Mira's shocked gaze, but ignoring it, so that they could finish their talk before more guild members began to trickle in.

"Eventually, some lessons cannot be taught by book nor word... Isn't that what you said?" Natsu said as he turned to Makarov completely, wearing a sleeveless black knee-length coat outlined in gold, with a black bandage wrap going up until mid bicep of both arms, making sure the guild mark was evident.

Makarov simply nodded his head at Natsu's answer, agreeing with the statement, that happened to be his own words, while Mira simply looked at Natsu aghast, surprised he was okay with hurting someone like that.

"Natsu, please tell me what you did," Mira asked as she approached Natsu, before resting her hand upon his, that was still resting upon the woos bar top, making the man turn to her, his face blank but eyes practically begging for her to understand.

"Aria's paralyzed," a new voice said making everyone's head, even Natsu's shoot towards the staircase, watching as Gajeel Redfox, and Juvia of the element four walked down the steps into their guild, but none of the mages went to attack, while Mira was shocked by Gajeel's statement.

'Natsu... Paralyzed Aria? Why would he-y No! He must have had a reason! I refuse to believe he would hurt people like that unless it was necessary,' Mira declared mentally, her devotion towards her boyfriend honestly astonishing, and quite touching as well.

"Not that he had a choice though, he only had one hit to take Aria out, and knocking him unconscious would have left even more problems," Gajeel explained carelessly as he stepped onto the basement floor before walking towards one of the benches opposite to the stairs

"I was wondering when you would come by... Hey Juv," Natsu said as he squeezed Mira's hand before standing up and approaching the two Phantoms, missing the small smile that had grown on Makarov's face, hidden only by the mustache on his lip.

"H-hi Natsu-sama," Juvia replied, a small blush on her face as her arms clenched her white doll against midsection as she stood at the bottom of the steps looking around uncertainly, making Mira sigh as she approached the brunette with a smile.

'Seriously how does Natsu do this! All it took was one day for him to make her like him?!' Mira thought as she stopped in front of the bluenette before extending her hand towards Juvia, her trademark closed eyes smile on her face as she introduced herself.

"You must be Juvia! My name is Mira," the model introduced as Juvia hesitantly extended her hand towards her, almost as if she was afraid that Mira was playing a trick on her. But when the bluenette finally grasped the model's hand, an astonishingly adorable blush grew on the woman's face as she shook Mira's hand, her eyes wide, almost as if she was shocked Mira had done such a thing.

Which was something both Makarov and Mira picked up on, filing that little tidbit away as they focused their attention on the two slayers, as Mira gently pulled the bluenette towards the bar, if only they could hear the two better.

"Is there something you want to ask me?" Natsu asked with a stupid, shit-eating grin on his face as he slid into the bench across from Gajeel, making the Iron Dragon glare at the pinkette, frustrated that Natsu is forcing him to ask.

"Where's your dragon," Gajeel asked roughly as he gruffly crossed his arms over his chest, making Natsu smile as he looked at the man.

"Maybe in another dimension? I honestly don't know, last time I saw him was when he tore Acnologia's arm off..." Natsu said making the Iron Dragon's eyes shoot wide open, a certain fact that was not recorded, which is surprising because with the supposed dragon being such a large threat, you'd expect the council to advertise such an injury.

"Did he ever leave you?" Gajeel asked as he stared at the dragon slayer, his only two questions becoming more because of how Natsu was purposely answering his questions.

"Yep... So let me guess, yours left on the seventh day, of the seventh month, in the year 777?" Natsu asked with a smile on his face, making Gajeel roll his eyes as to how Natsu was treating the entire conversation.

"How did you learn about your drive?" Gajeel asked, having had never been able to find anything on dragon slayer magic at all, other than what was posted about Natsu.

"Igneel mentioned it at some point," Natsu answered vaguely, a practiced response to hide Laxus' true magic something they had stumbled upon together.

But now Gajeel was left silent, having too much pride to actually say the words everyone knew he wanted to, but fortunately, he didn't get the time, as Team Shadow Gear, Lucy and Yukino began their descent down the stairs, their voices echoing in the otherwise silent basement.

Levy was the first to take notice of Gajeel, leaving her so shocked she stopped on her step, making Lucy look around confused, stopping beside Levy into she too took notice of the Phantoms, sighing as she forgot about them arriving the night before.

And then Jet and Droy, the ever oblivious pair took no notice of who, or what was present, bumping into The women below them, causing everyone to fall down the last five steps... If not for the chains of fire that sprouted from the air catching the limbs of all five mages, and preventing their fall just long enough that they could straighten up, rather than falling on their face.

"Hey Levy, are you-" Jet began to ask, before his eyes clashed with the blood red ones of the man who had dishonoured them in the first place, causing him to blot towards the man, his anger at their feet over rising his logic as he prepared to kick Gajeel into next week.

Everyone now noticed who was in their presence, even Droy, who had enough reasons to realize that I'd Gajeel was a great either Makarov or Natsu would handle him, agreeing as he watched his friend run forward, even though he stood back.

And he would have, if not for Natsu's hand shooting forward, and catching Jet without the use of magic, his base strength completely nullifying the forward force Jet had created, leaving him suspended in the air with his foot stuck out.

"That's enough, my children. Enough blood has been spilled already, let us not continue the feud," Makarov announced as he took a sip from his mug of beer, making Natsu gently lower Jet, holding his Jet so finely that he completely lowered the man to his feet, making the man turn to his master, anger clear on his face...

Until he looked back at his team. Levy wasn't scared, nor was she angry, she just stared at the black haired slayer, her eyes glossy as if she were remembering something. Droy was simply standing there, showing no aggression, only confusion as he stared at their enemy from the day before, confused as to why he was there.

And so jet stayed quiet... But that didn't mean that his heads moved an inch away from his new blades, that was holstered near his lower ribs, the handles sticking out almost like a gun would. And neither did his eyes leave the slayer, because even if their scores have been settled, that didn't nearly mean he tested the man as far as he could throw him.

And the man was practically made of iron.

"Master, you're better!" Lucy cried happily as she ran towards the old man, prompting Levy and Yukino to follow the excited blonde. And she had reason to be, now everyone that had been hurt by her father's attempt to retrieve her was now better, and the funniest thing, was that Natsu was entirely responsible for it, having had using his healing flames to heal the fairies, and Makarov.

"Hello my dears," Makarov said with a perverted grin on his face as he watched the blonde's chest as she ran, his eyes even drafting towards the petite Levy, and the youthful Yukino, blood beginning to slowly run out his right nostril as he was tempted to just reach out and touch.

Only to be smacked in the back of the head by Mira, whims stern, withering glare made Makarov sigh as he wiped the blood off his face by the back of his sleeve.

"Master, I'm sorry that Phantom-" Lucy began as she looked at her hands, wanting to apologize to the man himself, who was most likely bound to be responsible to pay for all damages. Her father was innocent of the guild war, as to how she was captured was irrelevant, and Jose...

"Fret not my girl, this war was a long time coming, if not now, but later. And perhaps maybe the end could have been even worse, just be glad that we all emerged safely." Makarov explained as he raised his hand to cut her off, his voice gentle and words wise, shocking the two phantoms.

"Mhm!" Lucy nodded with a grin on her face, as she, Yukino and Levy approached a table before sitting down, talking and laughing as if nothing had ever happened, simply acting like teenage girls, making Juvia looked on in awe.

"How about you join them?" Mira offered kindly, shocking Juvia out of her stare, literally jumping as she turned around and looked at the model confused, who only smiled.

"Girls! This is Juvia, a friend" Mira said with a gentle smile, looking to Natsu for confirmation as she carefully grasped the bluenette hand, before walking her over to the girls and sitting her across from Levy, beside Yukino, as everyone but Jet and Droy watched on, the two unwilling to take their eyes off Gajeel for even a second.

Natsu watched as his friends quickly attempted to incorporate the socially awkward Juvia into their conversation, a smile on his face and warmth in his chest as he looked Mira in the eyes, grateful that she had picked up on, and understood Juvia's situation.

But so did Gajeel, training his ears as he kept his passive appearance, ensuring that Juvia was doing well, while watching Levy just the same, remembering the look in her eyes not even three days ago before she passed out...

"So, Gajeel... I believe you were about to ask me something?" Natsu announced annoyingly bringing Makarov's attention back to the slayers, feeling pride in his chest as they began to accept the phantoms if barely regarding Gajeel.

"Shut your trap Salamander, you know bloody well what I want," Gajeel growled making Natsu laugh out loud as Makarov's arms grew, growing and extending as he pushed Jet and Droy towards a table.

"Oh, I do. But can you suck up your pride and ask for help?" Natsu asked, a malicious smirk on his face as he watched Gajeel glare at him, neither sides bowing to the other in this duel of wills.

"Natsu! What's going on?" Makarov asked with a sigh as he jumped off the bar, walking towards the two slayers making the pinkette roll his eyes, annoyed at his master's interference.

"Gajeel here, want me to help him train in his dragon slaying magic, mainly on drive and dragon force," Natsu commented with a side glance towards Makarov, who jumped onto the edge of the table between the two.

But what Natsu didn't expect was for the room to go completely silent, only to be broken by the sound of more members talking outside. Who was then revealed to be Macao, Wakaba, Cana, and surprisingly Romeo, Macao's son?

All of whom were surprised when they saw Makarov, Gajeel and Juvia all in the basement, with team shadow gear not even making a sound.

"What the hell is going on here?" Wakaba asked, shocked, only to get swatted in the head bay the annoyed father, Macao.

Romeo was simply awed, as he was in the presence of some of the strongest mages in all of Fiore, especially Natsu, a man who his father said almost solely defeat Phantom Lord, including Jose.

But Romeo was a good boy, standing by his father's side as he looked up at the man, simply waiting for his father to grant permission to meet Natsu, his secret idol. Because you see Romeo looked up to his father, having had always believed that he was the strongest fire mage, until he learned of Fairy Tails less frequent members, from Cana and Mira. And he was intrigued, to say the least.

And once his father saw his trained, wide eyes, and nodded his head, Romeo was off, bolting across the guild as fast as his little legs could take him until he stopped by Makarov and the two dragons, only for him to almost falling over, his shoelace having had caught on a piece of uneven concrete, sending the boy to the floor...

"Careful there little buddy," Natsu said as he crouched in front of the boy, his left hand catching the child's shoulder while his right supported his head, so that his neck would feel not effect as to how fast he had caught the boy, having appeared as a blur as he shot off the table.

"Thanks!" The boy said, too young to feel embarrassed at falling over, until he realized who caught them, his excited mind having had missed the fact he never recognized the voice.

"Woah! Are you Natsu, the wizard saint?" Romeo asked with the innocence and awe only a child could have, making a small smile grow on the pinkettes face.

"Yessir! And I take it your Macao's kid?" Natsu asked as he made sure the boy was righted on his feet, before removing his hands and pointing at the fire mage behind the boy, making him turn around and see the annoyed expression on the man's face, something Romeo was too oblivious to pick up on.

"Yep! Can I see your fire?!" Romeo asked bluntly, not beating around the bush one bit as he looked up at the fire dragon prince. You see, Romeo was fathered by a fire mage, causing the element to become a constant in the child's life. And fire became a symbol of protection and strength because of it.

"I don't know about that, buddy," Natsu said with a wink as was lifted into the sky, by pillars of fire formed under the boy's feet, making the child look around, awed at such a feat. And while Macao couldn't deny he was a tad jealous at the look on his son's face, he was simply glad Romeo was happy.

But then the fire suddenly disappeared just as his head was no more than three inches away from the eight-foot basement ceiling, making Romeo fall gleefully towards the ground, while Macao watched in distress, calling his magic to his hands as he attempted to save his son, only for Cana to hold her hand up, blocking Macao from walking forward as a small dragon made entirely out of fire appeared under Romeo's falling body, catching him from falling as he flew around, happiness pure exuding from his body as he flew around the basement, while Natsu turned around, focusing back on Makarov and Gajeel. The last of whom was staring at the slayer, not impressed by his antics as he waited for an answer to the question.

"Ah yes, Gajeel wants to learn from a more experienced Dragonslayer..." Makarov commented as he looked at the two, ignoring the joyful cries of the boy, flying around in the air, as everyone began to settle in, while sounds of movement began to settle in outside as more mages outside began to deal with the rubble outside.

"And I refuse to do anything until he says it." Natsu replies as he stares at the Dragon Slayer who grumbled, spitting over his shoulder before staring at the pinkette, steel in his eyes angry as he glared at the Pink Haired slayer, finding it hard to admit that he was weaker than Natsu, and put himself in the same situation back with Jose, always being bossed around because he was weaker, having to work hard for each and every lesson, like a lap dog working for its master.

"Natsu, as much as I 'm sure you're enjoying this, you have to understand this from Gajeel's side. And so as your master, I'm telling you, to let this go, have your fun when you're training him." Makarov said with a grin on his face that was quickly mirrored by the one on Natsu's face as he turned to the Iron Dragon Slayer, who quickly felt a sense of foreboding growing in his chest as Natsu's grin began to become malicious.

"Looks like I got a lot on my plate... Won't be leaving the guild for a while it seems." Natsu said with a sigh as he turned to Makarov, a smile on both men's face as Gajeel let out a grunt, before standing up, and exiting the room without a sound, not a thank you, and definitely not a goodbye as he walked past a tableful of women, his eyes lingering on the two bluenettes at the end, a glimmer of hope shooting across his face when Levy returned his gaze.

But this time, without fear.

* * *

And onto the Reviews!

Natauharemfan-40- You are slightly correct, as not even Natsu knows the depth of his anger, especially with END now partially released. But will other be able to cool his fire of Vengeance... Or will everyone get burnt?

Everyone- because of more exams and such, I might be able to get a chapter out next week, but definitely not the week of the twenty-second. I'm sorry because I know how hard it is to wait for a chapter, but unfortunately, school comes first. Thanks for being understanding! (No promises on next week though!). Harem list is posted on my profile, as of now.


	42. The Aftermath

And Onto the Story!

 **Gloria's PoV**

"Cmon, Gloria, it's time to wake up, trains leaving in forty-five," a familiar voice said quietly in her ear as her shoulder was experiencing a light shaking. Her mind was pulled from unconciousness, her eyes fluttering open every so gradually.

She began to sense daylight, crack of through the curtains and spreading around, illuminating the room, only to be blocked when something, but more likely someone moved in the way.

She opened her eyes, curious as to who was there, her muddled, tired mind late to the party as her eyes finally fluttered open, registering the form of a dark-haired, shirtless man leaning over her, making her eyes shoot open in worry, curious as to why the man was shirtless, until she finally recognized him.

"Gray... What are you doing?" Gloria moaned as she stretched her arms above her head as she sat up, causing the sheets to fall down, revealing her to be covered in a large, navy blue shirt, most likely one of Grays, since she was never able to retrieve her own stuff.

"We have to go get your friend, remember? Breakfast is on the table, I'm going to finish my work out," Gray said as he stood up and exited the room, leaving Gloria sitting there along as she clutched the sheets to her chest, her face covered in a cute red blush as she watched the man walk out of the space, spartan room, noticing the light glistening off of his back, evident that he was deep into his workout.

It only took her twenty minutes to shower and change, revealing her to be in the same suit she was wearing the day before as she hesitantly walked out of the room, hearing the sounds of Gray training outside, but her curiosity of the pre-mentioned breakfast was stuck in her head.

And it wasn't anything fancy, or big. It was simple, toast and eggs, sitting on the table under a simple white warm cloth, showing they he cared enough to try and keep her food warm.

But, it was still sweet of him to do that.

 **Natsu's PoV**

The guild did not stay silent for long after Gajeel made his exit. As it only took a few minutes for Jet to speak his mind, most likely knowing that there was a _really_ good chance Gajeel could still hear him.

"Master, you can't honestly be considering letting him join?" Jet asked after taking in a deep breath, his respect for the old man conquering even his hate for the dragon slayer, something that became more understood an apparent, due to Gajeel's effect on innocent little Levy.

"Jet, we all knew that this war was a possibility... but to blame a man who was only following orders... I know you might not like it, but as a guild master, it is my duty to help those that have gone astray, and guide them into a new life. Give him a shot, maybe you'll find out he's not that bad of a guy. The decision is still up to him, but the offer is there." Makarov said kindly as he hopped off the table and walking towards the bar, unaware of what else had occurred during the war.

"Hey, Master... you know he almost killed Erza yesterday, right?" Macao said from a table on the opposite side of the room as he set his mug of beer down, making Makarov turn around at his seat on the bar top, a brow raised in curiosity as he looked at the father.

"What did you expect? These were two mages fighting for their lives," Makarov commented as he grabbed a mug to his left, taking a sip as he looked at the man, HIs eye drifting towards Cana as she walked across the room, honed squarely on her round ass in those tight cacky pants, before turning back to Macao, who was watching his son land the fiery dragon upon the table top, a gleeful, childing smile complete upon his face, reaching even his eyes as he stared at his father.

"Can I do it again?! Please daddy!" Romeo exclaimed gleefully, his innocence and playfulness rendering him unaware of the severity of the conversation. Macao simply looked over his son, locking eyes with the lounging Wizard Saint, a silent, but meaningful nod passing between the two fire mages as the fiery dragon disappeared from existence.

"Not right now little man, how about you ask Mira for some breakfast, okay?" Macao offered with a small smile as he fished a few jewels out of his jacket and handing them to his son, making the boy smile as he hopped off the table and ran towards a smiling Mira, as Makarov sighed, hopping off the bar once again and hobbling his way towards the purple haired fire user.

"Right, but they weren't fighting," Macao said the second his master jumped onto the bar, his eyes drifting back towards Romeo, who was being walked over to Natsu's table by Mira, a gentle hand upon the child's shoulder as he carried over a breakfast of bacon, pancakes and a nice glass of orange juice as they approached Natsu and Cana, allowing the older to talk without worry of the child overhearing their conversation.

"Hey kiddo, did you have some fun?" Natsu asked as he looked at the young boy, who still had a gleeful smile on upon face, as he sat beside Cana while Mira watched, ensuring he was alright before turning back to the bar, only to be stopped by Natsu's strong fingers, wrapped around her wrist. Her head turned, and her eyes met him, and she smiled as she sat down beside him, resting her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her waist, watching as Romeo ate his breakfast.

"Yeah! How did you do that! It was so cool, I've never seen dad use fire like that before!" Romeo exclaimed excitedly as he dug into his breakfast, a smile on his face as he shoved a bite of pancake, after bite into his mouth, a flurry of syrup erupting everything in a one-meter radius, making Cana roll her eyes as she tried to wipe some of the syrup off her arm, before giving up entirely, before focusing on the man across from her.

"What do you want me to work on with Lucy? I don't know anything about Celestial Spirit Magic..." Cana asked curiously as she locked eyes with the black tipped pinkette, as Mira opened her eyes and looked at the brunette, her gaze fraught with curiosity as she listened to their conversation.

"Obviously, Lucy is a novice when it comes to magic and combat, however, there is one thing you both have in common when it comes to magic. You both have to chose what spell, what element, or in her case, which spirit to summon. And that is what I want you to help her with," Natsu explained with a gentle smile as his gaze was drawn to the excited young boy, something he wished he was able to experience, without all of his responsibilities and duties.

"Interesting, I understand what you're saying... So you want me to teach her? Or do you want me to help her expand her container," Cana asked curiously as she lounged back in her seat, just glad that Romeo had finished his pancakes?

"Nah, well... If you want to, go ahead, shouldn't hurt," Natsu said with a shrug as he looked at the brunette, careful not to jostle the model on his shoulders.

"Fair enough... What are you gonna do, now that you finally have some free time," Cana asked curiously as she looked at the man, confused when he sighed.

"Oh, I wish, it could be minutes before even a council member could be sent down to oversee the investigation. Even though I am fairly sure its pretty cut and dry." Natsu said with a sigh as he squeezed the platinum blonde woman on his side, making her tilt her head up at him, curious as to what he was about to say.

"But... I'd say there are more than enough witnesses here for me to get out for a bit... mind joining me?" Natsu said with a small smile on his fact, hesitancy in his voice as he looked the woman in the eyes, making a genuine smile bloom on her face as she nodded her head, making Natsu nod his head as they literally disappeared in a flash of fire, making Romeo drop his glass in shock, his eyes wide in amazement as he stared at the spot where the two had sat.

"Yeah, he does that," Cana said with a sigh as she rubbed Romeo's head, ruffling his hair as he turned to the brunette, eyes wide in amazement and a thousand questions on his tongue.

 **Gloria's PoV**

"So is it just you and me then?" Gloria asked as they walked through the streets, heading towards the train station, passing by workers, elderly and children on the streets.

"Its safer this way, the fewer people the easier it is to go unnoticed," Gray commented as he put his hands in his pockets, making his shoulders seem even wider in his form-fitting black t.

"True, I guess," Gloria said as she looked at her hands, uncertain of her future, especially since Jude could practically sway any and all business from hiring her, his grasp on the business world strong and immense. And his vengeance and rage colder than the strongest ice, something he had always, tried to hide behind closed doors.

"You know, we might be able to find you a job around here? Fairy Tail Mages are trusted almost unilaterally across all of Magnolia, and less across Fiore." Gray commented as he turned to look at the woman by his side, taken by how she was handling herself. She was still standing confident, even more so now that she had finally gotten out of her heels.

"What about at your guild? are there any jobs I could do there?" Gloria asked curiously as she turned to Gray, making sure to follow him around the corner.

"Well, I know that Gramps has gotten tired of doing paperwork. Plus, Mira would probably enjoy some time off now that Natsu seems to be hanging around more these days," Gray offered with a shrug as he turned his head towards the woman at his side, realizing that she was still almost as tall as him, even without the heels. His eye caught hers, his dark blue meeting her golden green for just a second as they continued to approach the street.

But, that didn't mean he never noticed the way her pupils dilated, and how a faint, but adorable blush crept up her neck, settling on her cheeks, just before she turned her head away, stuck in her own world. So much so that she never realized she was approaching the end of the sidewalk, while the flow of traffic changed.

She was confused as to why she was acting so weird, never had she ever been attracted by a man before, her entire life prior to today consumed with trying to get off the streets, and succeed in life. So that she would never be that orphan on the streets again, having to...

She was jolted from her thoughts, a loud horn exploding in her ears as a hand clasped her right forearm, pulling her body back and setting her off balance, luckily there was a wall behind her to stop her from falling... until her mind finally caught up with reality.

The hand on her arm had pulled her out of the street, mere centimeters away from being hit by a magic mobile, thus explaining the horn.

"You might want to pay a little more attention as to where you are going," A voice said in her ear, making her turn around, taking care _not_ to step to close to the road.

Her eyes widened in embarrassment when she realized the wall she fell on, was, in fact, Gray, a small voice in the back of her head very much enjoying how strenuous his training regimen would have to be...

"T-thanks..." Gloria muttered as she looked at her feet, noticing the way his lips quirked upwards ever so slightly, the only sign of amusement on his face as he stayed silent, as everyone simply walked around them as they waited for the flow to shift once more.

The flow changed once more, permitting the two young adults to cross the street in something close to a comfortable silence, even though Gloria's eyes kept drifting to him every minute or so.

And they arrived at the train station right on time, only to be confused by one simple thing.

"Happy?! What are you doing here!" Gray asked, his tone sharp and agitated, even though he was speaking at a normal volume, while Gloria simply stood to the side a little confused as to why someone would send an innocent blue cat, to meet them for the upcoming heist.

 **Mira's PoV**

"Natsu... Where are we going?" Mira asked with an uneven mixture of curiosity and hesitancy as they walked down the street with practically no direction whatsoever.

"Following up on a deal I made," Natsu said with a smile as he looked at the beautiful woman on his arm, feeling as if having her in his life, made up for all the pain in his childhood, even to the extent he almost believed in Gods, weaving their fate.

"Natsu," Mira said sternly as she stopped walking in the middle of the sidewalk, her tone stern but not angry as she looked at her boyfriend.

"Oh, I just realized how weird that sounded... I what you to meet a friend of mine," Natsu said with a smile as he extended his arm to Mira, who accepted his hand with a smile.

Of course, he was completely unaware as to what was going through her mind, 'not another woman!' Bring another of the more prominent thoughts as they walked across the street.

Mira was about to scold Natsu when he simply stepped into the road without checking for traffic until she remembered he practically knew where everything was, and how fast it was moving.

And so they continued to walk in a pleasant silence, her hand in his as they walked through to the more active side of the city, with cafes and small shops all around, with citizens walking in and out in a peaceful chaos.

Fruits stands and others alike were scattered across the center of town, sounds of enjoyment and bartering to be heard as everyone went about their day's work.

"Where exactly are we meeting this friend?" Mira asked curiously as they walked past some of the more popular hangouts for youth.

But, that didn't mean they were entirely oblivious to the attention they were garnering. While Mira was well know all throughout Magnolia, and even Fiore, Natsu, was not. Tales of his exploits were well known, but his duties lead to him being all across Fiore, and they didn't recognize him.

"Almost there, I think," Natsu said with a smile as he looked at the woman, trying his best to remember where exactly their shop was, it has had just been the first one he'd come across.

"Maybe I could help you find it?" Mira offered gently as they walked towards the market, her duties in the guild causing her to have a very good knowledge of the city, making orders for everything from food, to new furniture practically every other week.

"Found it!" Natsu said excitedly as he gently pulled on Mira's hand, making her smile ruefully as he pulled her into the crowd at a brisk pace, as they walked towards a building on the left side, her stature preventing her from completely making out the sign.

Until they were seven feet away from it.

"A... Flower shop?" Mira muttered curiously as they walked towards the door, which had 'Faunas flowers painted on the glass pane.

"Yep! Remember when I asked you out? She helped me with the bouquet" Natsu said sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck, before pulling open the door, his hand still in Mira's as they entered the small stoor.

"Hello! Welcome to fauna's flowers, ho-" a young woman in a green apron and gardening gloves said as she took in the two very familiar customers, her strawberry blonde hair tied into a bun atop her head as she brushed the dirt off her apron.

"Well would ya look at that," the woman said as she took her gloves off, tossing them onto the service counter as she walked towards the young couple.

"I thought you'd had forgotten our deal, but here you are," the woman muttered curiously as she stopped three feet in front of the two, taking in the attire of the two.

"I try to keep my promises," Natsu muttered as Mira looked between the two, her avid people skills going into high gear as she tried to analyze their friendship.

"My names Blossom, I take it you are, the Mirajane Strauss?" The woman said curiously as she extended her hand to the model, who quickly reciprocated.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. And if you don't mind me asking, what exactly does this deal involve?" Mira asked as she looked at her boyfriend and the florist, slightly nervous as to why she was here.

Some of her fans can be quite... Crazy.

"Oh, that? This kid walked in here all nervous about asking you out, I just wanted to know how it went. Plus, this isn't the first time a boy came in here, buying flowers to ask you out." Blossom said with a side glance to the model, a smirk on her face as she looked at the woman.

But she was shocked to see Mirajane surprised by her statement, not embarrassed or even shy about it, as the model turned to the Pink Haired man who was becoming more interesting by the second, especially since she was able to look at him a bit better today.

When he first came in, dressed semi-formal, intending to ask Mira out, she thought of him as nothing more than a pervert. But seeing him standing confidently today, dressed as a fighter confused her.

"You were, nervous?" Mira asked, almost awed by the thought of someone like Natsu, a man who literally fought the harbinger of death, was nervous at the thought of asking her out. But it was equally touching because it showed how much he cared.

"Mira, I'm not sure if you noticed, but literally every time I've tried to ask you out, something always interrupted me," Natsu said with a small smile as he looked at her, but the way he squeezed her hand in his did not go unnoticed by either Blossom or Mira.

"But I gotta ask, why'd you say yes to him? I've seen dozens of men buy you flowers." Blossom asked curiously as she walked back towards her gloves, putting them on as she went about, adjusting the shelves and restocking the seeds.

"Well, to start off... He's a wizard saint, a mage of my guild... Nothing big," Mira listed off as she sent Natsu a half-hearted glare, annoyed by how he always seemed to downplay himself, as everyone thought of him as an idiot, or unimportant.

Blossom was obviously shocked by the statement, the way her head shot up, dropping the seeds in her hand as she turned to the two.

Wizards saints were rare, especially since so few tied themselves down to a guild or city, always drifting around from place to place, wherever the work was...

That was why so many people flocked towards Magnolia... Because of Fairy Tail and their members. Having someone with godlike power always available to protect your home was simply the cherry on top.

And while people knew of the second saint, he was rarely ever seen, as rarely as Gildarts.

"So you're the fire dragon prince," Blossom asked as she stood up and looked him over once more, their expression and stance only going to emphasize the validity of her statement.

"Well I'll be damned, aren't you two a powerhouse couple," Blossom commented making Natsu's eyes shoot open, having had forgotten about what else he had planned for Mira.

"We're actually just about to go on that date now, but I wanted to drop in now, while We could," Natsu said with a smile towards the woman before turning towards the door, making the woman shake her head as she went back toward, kicking herself that she hadn't put much more thought into the guild, protecting her home.

 **Gray's PoV**

"So what are you doing here, Happy," Gray asked from their booth on the train, as they watched the cat enjoy his twelfth fish.

"Natsu told me to come here and help you guys out!" Happy said gleefully as he set down the clean, shining fish bone as he reached for the next, unaware that the woman across from him was feeling even more confused as to his statement, while Gray sighed.

"So flame brain sent you to monitor me?" Gray asked annoyed as he pulled the fish away from the cat, not prepared for the completely heartbreaking look the cat sent him, looking at the ice mage as if he had killed someone.

"Nah, he just thought I'd get bored with all the legal stuff," Happy said the second he realized his puppy dog look had failed, crossing his arms as he looked at the ice mage.

"What legal stuff, the stuff from last night?" Gloria asked confusedly as she turned towards Gray, while Happy simply sat there silently, his mouth salivating as he stared at his last two fish.

"Yeah, because Natsu was the one who finished them off, he'll be the largest suspect for interrogation," Gray said with a sigh as he slid Happy's plate back.

"What do you mean suspect? Phantom Lord was entirely at fault!" Gloria argued, realizing that if Natsu was sent to jail, one of the three healers would be unable to help, and she didn't like those odds. Plus... He kind of grew on you.

"He had to do some things, that others may not agree with," Gray said hesitantly as he looked around, making sure nobody was watching, or listening in. That single statement made Happy set down his fish mid-bite, his eyes focused entirely on Gray as his face shifted into something that made Gloria was to shiver.

Gray, however, was not as unprepared as his pretty friend and held the cats gaze full on, beginning to see Laxus' impact on the blue cat.

"What happened," Happy asked quietly, his voice losing all the innocence, all the glee it usually carried in an instant, sounding more serious than Gray had thought possible.

"Natsu broke some things that can't easily be fixed," Gray replied cryptically, confusing the brunette, but Happy got the message.

"Who was it?" Happy asked as he looked at Gray, making Gloria finally begin to understand what they were talking about.

"Aria's paralyzed, and I think Sol has some recovery ahead of him," Gray said, tired of beating around the bush and wasting time they should have used to plan their retrieval mission.

"Wait, wait, wait... You're saying that one of you can fix paralysis?" Gloria asked shocked, feeling more hope than ever before.

But Gray only turned to Happy, wanting the cat to answer her question.

"Did Gray not tell you how Natsu brought his master back to life?" Happy asked curiously as he tilted his head, making Gray want to tear his hair out, while Gloria sat back in amazement.

"Are you forgetting the part where he almost died while doing it?!" Gray raged in a whisper making Happy's eyes shoot open in recognition, proving that the cat really had forgotten.

"And how much time do you think we have? I just met her yesterday!" Gray complained childishly, his annoyance making him seem like a brat, more so than usual at least.

"I dunno, I'm a cat," Happy said with a shrug, his innocence and stupidity shining through, even though Gray could see the mischievous glint in his eyes.

Gray clenched his eyes shut, trying to calm down and focus on their task ahead, while Gloria continued to struggle with the cat's revelation.

It took him an entire minute to calm down, while Happy finished off his pile of fish, before curling up on the table.

"Right... Gloria, can you tell us about this facility?" Gray asked as he turned to the brunette, making Happy crack an eye open as he listened to their conversation, with Gloria putting the whole revival thing to the back of her mind.

 **Makarov's PoV**

he watched over his children, doing his best to fight the foreboding building in his chest, especially since Natsu did not return to Oak-town to heal the man, meaning that the council had more than likely taken him, and the others into their custody.

"Master," Erza commented, breaking the old man out of his thoughts as he focused on the knight before him, a small smirk growing on his face as he takes in the yellow hard hat and orange construction vest.

"Shall we complete the demolition? Or give them more time to recover," Erza asked as they looked across the guild, that was bumping with life, almost too much so, as there was barely enough room for everyone.

Those that were on missions returned immediately, excluding those like Laxus and Gildarts, who are unable to leave during their quests.

"Bah, look at how lively they all are! My children! Let's fix our home, and rebuild even larger! So that our family can continue to grow!" Makarov announced making everyone shoot from their seats, smiles on their faces as they exited through the little staircase, leaving Macao, Wakaba, Makarov, and Erza in the basement alone.

Makarov sighed as he saw the look the purple haired man gave him before they too joined their friends outside.

"Erza... You are aware of Gajeels presence, and as far as I'm aware, he came close to killing you than the others..." Makarov began with a sigh, curious as to what she thought of the situation.

"Master," Erza interrupted, her voice surprisingly light as she smiled at a man she considered a father. "Were you aware he's the only reason you still take a breath?" Erza asked before turning around, requipping a pic-ax and resting it on her shoulder as she joined their guild upstairs, leaving the old man alone, with a smile on his face.

 **Erza's PoV**

Thr knight turned foreman looked out across her workers, a smile growing on her face when she realized everyone they needed was present.

"Macao! Laki! Elfman! Sherry! Continue with the demolition. Nab! Vijateer! Max! Wakaba! Sort through the rubble, see if you can find anything of use. Alzack, keep an eye on the guild, make sure it won't fall. Bisca, Shiko, head towards Porlyusica and see if Ur's state has changed." Erza rallied off, prompting everyone to head to their tasks, excited at what their new guild will look like.

The others that were not called upon, like Juvia, Warren and Reedus approached Erza, curious as to what they were to do.

"Reedus, you come with Master and me, let's design the new guild. Warren... Do you know where Loki is?" Erza asked worriedly, vaguely remembering the look of defeat on the playbooks face when he failed to protect Lucy.

"I'll go find him," Warren said with a smirk on his face, unaware of the man's unusual actions as he headed towards the local bars, expecting to find the man surrounded by women.

Of course, that didn't mean Erza didn't notice Makarov sneak out carrying barrels of beer, but she let it slide... The man almost died for crying out loud, but they didn't mean she would let it happen a second time.

"Oh, and Juvia, if you want to help, go to Sherry and help her out, she's the pink haired doll make a user," Erza said as she walked towards their artist and their master, curious as to what they would come up with.

And so Magnolia was left to watch, as Fairy Tail rebounded with smiles on their faces as they took apart the guild, unaware of the council's investigators sent towards the scene.

 **Cana's PoV**

"Alright, this should be a good enough spot," Thr lush announced as she finished leading her annoying large group through the forest, stopping in a large clearing west of their guild hall.

Yukino, Lucy, and Team shadow gear entered the clearing behind her, the only benefit brings that they had more magic's to practice with.

"Okay, Levy come stand with me, let's have a little duel to see what I'm working with, boys vs girls!" Cana called out as they walked towards the edge of the clearing, leaving two nervous celestial mages standing off against to men, too competitive to take it easy.

It was sure to be quite a spectacle.

* * *

first, I just want to say sorry. There's going to be some transition right now, leading towards ToH, but that could be a few chapters. Some things need to be set in action, plus, why not have some fun.

Random Guy-41- I'll take a look at it, but of course I'll have to read the whole story.


	43. Jail Break

And Onto the Story!

"Where are we going now?" Mira asked, a small smile on her face as they walked outside, feeling a certain mixture of confusion and relief.

On one hand, she was very glad that Natsu cared enough to be nervous, but hasn't she been clear enough that she liked him over the years? He truly is dense.

"My house figured we could spend some time alone before the trial starts," Natsu said with a sigh, his face contorting at the mention of the trial, showing his obvious distaste for long, drawn-out legal matters.

"You are aware there are like, seven people staying at your house right now? We never had time to set them up at guest homes with Phantom Lord showings its head," Mira said with a sigh, honestly glad that Natsu was so dense right now, otherwise, it could turn him back to the arrogant man he was before.

"Yeah... It's alright though, everyone's at the guild anyway," Natsu said with a smile towards His wonderful girlfriend, glad that he got small moments like this with her, to just talk and laugh without the lives of hundreds resting upon his shoulder.

It made all the fighting worth it.

 **"You don't honestly think that will work, do you?"** End spoke up from inside Natsu's head, surprising the pinkette since he hadn't heard from him since yesterday.

'I think there's a chance...' Natsu replied internally, doing his best to keep his features calm, lest Mira catch onto what's going on, even though he really wanted to tell her.

 **"Is she really strong enough to control him? To suppress him in the back of her mind, completely and fully so that he doesn't influence her actions even the slightest, slowly taking control?"** END asked, playing the devil's advocate, ironically, making Natsu sigh, and thus catching Mira's eye.

"Natsu, are you alright?" Mira asked as she sent her boyfriend a worried look, gently tugging his arm to get his attention.

"Yeah, sorry... Just trying to figure out who they're going to send down." Natsu said with a smirk as he looked at Mira, hoping she would take his words at face value.

But Mira could see through him any day.

"Natsu..." Mira trailed off, planting her feet as she looked at her boyfriend, not caring about who was watching, or listening. She just wanted him to be honest with her.

Natsu looked around, sighing as his resolve cracked, feeling as if her baby blue eyes were staring into his soul, and break the flimsy excuses in his head that made him believe he should keep this from Mira.

"I learned some... stuff yesterday, and I'm just trying to figure out how to deal with it," Natsu said as he looked into Mira's eyes, his hands searching for hers, silently conveying his want to keep it private, for now.

Mira looked at him, really looked at him, searching his eyes for any sign of worry or distress, before sighing, gently squeezing his hand back as she nodded with her eyes closed, a smile on her face.

"Alright, but if you ever want to talk about it... You can trust me." Mira said as she looked her boyfriend in the eyes, unable to shake some worry from her mind as to what had a strong man like him, worried.

"Thanks... Now let's stop worrying about me and get back to our date," Natsu said with a smile as he let go of her right hand before they walked down the street towards his house, stepping inside the occasional boutique or shop, but the one thing that never changed, was the smiles on their faces.

 **Cana's PoV**

"Alright! Here are the rules, no fatal blows, and keep the damage to a minimum, ready, set, go!" Cana exclaimed as Jet jumped straight into top gear, shooting towards the two celestial mages, his hands empty, as to not hurt Levy's friend.

Both Yukino and Lucy were completely unprepared for the speed he put out, reminding the two of how fast Natsu could move, reaching them in under two seconds, swiping their keys out of their hands before returning to where he stood, all in under five seconds.

Both Yukino and Lucy were at a loss, their mouth agape and eyes wide as they stared at the man, dangling their keys up in the air, leaving the two defenseless.

And Cana began to realize just how much training they needed. Both women turned around, their heads held low as they just gave up, unable to keep up with Jet, and Droy was his equal. How could they beat both at the same time?

"Lucy! Yukino! Don't give up! You can still win this!" Levy cried out to her new friends from the sideline, while Jet and Droy felt betrayed, their crush siding with their simulation enemy.

Both celestial mages stopped in place, looking at each other as they respectively assessed their abilities, without their keys. And then they turned around, the battlefield silent as they turned to look at the combat-oriented part of Team Shadowgear, watching as Jet clipped their keys to his belt.

"What are you doing? If you need to forfeit, do so. But standing idle on the battlefield is a death wish." Cana announced, a hint of disappointment in her voice as she watched the two women so close to giving up, without even doing a thing.

But she understood why. They had no combat experience, no skills great enough to fight back against Jet's speed magic, and Droy's seed magic. But she was also confused by the boys, knowing they could restrict the two women without much struggle and end the fight immediately, until she noticed the period looks the two boys were giving in her direction, to Levy.

And she smiled, of slightly. The two boys were willing to give the two women a chance. And as chivalrous as it was, it would not help right now.

She gently cleared her throat, catching the boys attention and shook her head.

"Plant magic, Vines!" Droy called out hesitantly as he threw a handful of seeds in the celestial mage's direction, making the two women. Gasping as they attempted to escape the blast One, but Droy threw the seeds in such a pattern it completely covered their half of the battlefield, and within seconds both women were completely restrained, in the air.

The entirety of team shadow gear ran forward to assist the two, now very depressed, celestial mages, with Jet using his knife to cut them out while Levy talked to the two women, trying to encourage them, while Cana simply stood back with a sigh.

"We've got a lot of work ahead of us..." Cana said with a sigh as she watched Jet return their keys while planning a training regimen for the two.

 **Gray's PoV**

"Alright, you all know the plan... let's go!" Gray whispered as he approached the large research facility, making sure he _didn't_ lose his shirt as he entered, a fake smile on his face as he went to cause a distraction, while Happy flew Gloria towards a fourth story window, where her friend was being held.

"Hello, how may I help you?" A kind man asked as he looked up from his computing lacrima to take in the new customer who walked in the door.

"Yeah, I heard that my little sister was here?" Gray asked casually as he lent onto the counter, resting his shoulder on his palm as the man opened a new page on his computer.

"Last name please?" The man asked as he looked up at Gray, his hands on a different lacrima plate as he waited for Gray's Answer.

"Mikazuchi..." Gray trailed off as he narrowed his eyes, taking the few seconds the man needed to search his name to scour the room, looking for any sign of a security room or monitor station. If they were to cause a large disturbance here, at an official medical facility at the heart of Fiore... That's enough to actually sink Fairy Tail forever...

 **Gloria's PoV**

"Over There!" Gloria said as Happy nodded silently before flying towards a window three down from the south-east corner of the building... only to dart downwards when they noticed a motion activated lacrima camera tracking their movements from even twenty-five feet away.

"Wait what are you doing?" Gloria asked as they landed back on the ground, hiding behind some large, decorative rocks on the lawn, confusing some passerbyers, who simply thought some kids were playing a game.

"They have high tech cameras that track movement, anything from a bird to a rocket..." Happy commented seriously making Gloria sigh, having had never noticed them earlier in her rush to check on Kagura, the only friend she ever made from her orphanage.

"Is there an access hatch from the roof, or some other entrance we could go through?" Happy asked as he peeked over the rock, cursing under his little cat breath when he noticed that the entire building was completely covered from foundation to roof in perfectly placed cameras so that they had 100% of the building covered, something that would be weird if they didn't have dozens of lacrima's and experimental substances stored in that building.

Plus, it probably made families feel better, that their loved ones were protected.

"Not that I know of... What are we going to do?" Gloria asked worriedly as she watched the cat calmly take his little green bag off his back, and she was surprised when it was revealed to be a simple green square of cloth, with a black bundle inside.

"I'm going to break in," Happy said with a sigh as he adjusted the pile of black cloth, before crawling inside the little hole he uncovered.

"You may want to step back," Happy said from inside the cloth, his cute high pitched voice sounding muffled, and aged as she slowly crawled backward.

And to her utter bewilderment, the cloth shot up in size, and not only that. It revealed a large, preteen sized Happy covered in a black gi, his face and hands covered in a glove or mask, and the only part of him that could be seen were his feline eyes, and the fur in between.

"What the..." Gloria muttered in confusion as Happy sat up, his hands checking hidden pockets, making sure he had everything he needed, before flipping to his feet like an actual ninja.

"One day when we were training, I was hit by the shrapnel from one of Natsu's attacks. He quickly saved me, using his green flame, and then we discovered my magic container, his healing spell pushing enough magic into my body to open it. And then... This," Happy commented as he gestured to himself, raising his small, three-fingered paw into the air when she opened her mouth to protest.

"Why he did it doesn't matter, which window is it again?" Happy asked seriously, making Gloria lift her left hand, her index finger pointing to the window that should be Kagura's room.

"Alright... In three seconds, I need you to smash this lacrima, in sight of the window." Happy said as he hands Gloria a small white lacrima, was literally glowing with magic. He also handed her a black cloth... A blindfold.

'One," Gloria counted internally as she watched the cat.

And then Happy was gone, his aera shooting out of his back instantly as he shot into the sky, his body becoming a blur as he shot into the sky.

'Two," Gloria thought as she looked at the rock, and then lacrima, hoping to god this didn't backfire.

"Three!" Gloria whispered as she slammed the lacrima on the top of the rock, her two hands hold allowing giving her the most force possible as it slammed into the rock.

And she was blinded momentarily, an explosion of light magic passing through even the blindfold, but her job was done, and all she could do now was wait.

 **Happy PoV**

He shot off like a rocket on the third second, heading straight towards the window at max speed, making sure to raise his arms over his head as he smashed through the window... But he went unseen, having had been just outside the motion sensor of the lacrima when the light lacrima exploded, the flash hopefully blinding the camera as he broke into the facility.

He rolled on the ground, ignoring the small cuts he got from the glass shards as he opened his eyes, instantly scanning the room for 'a purple haired girl,' as he tried to ignore the siren and blaring red lights.

And he was annoyed to see that the room was empty, the bed covered with a plain white hospital sheet, pillow untouched and literally no personal belongings in the room. No pictures on the mantle, no kickbacks or gifts on the small shelf beside the wall. And that meant only one thing.

'She was moved! But where!' Happy thought annoyed as he looked around, the sounds of guards running towards the room echoing from the hallway.

Happy hissed before flying towards the ceiling, carefully lifting the ceiling panel and sliding in, his slim, small body barely making a fit. And the worst part was if he reverted to his original form, he would lose his disguise, and they would link the break-in back to Fairy Tail.

The second Happy replaced the panel, making sure to be as still as possible, guards broke in, what sounded like four quickly entered the room.

"They're looking for Patient M, you two, go to the security room, I want numbers. The rest of you follow me, we need to make sure they're still in the building, this may have been a diversion." The commanding officer ordered before they left the room, making Happy roll his eyes at their utter stupidity., before he quietly lowered himself from the ceiling, and following the armed guards into the facility.

 **Gray's PoV**

"I'm sorry, the file doesn't mention any brothers. May I please see your identification?" The man at the desk asked after a few minutes of searching through their database, his voice catching the attention of a nearby security officer.

"I can explain. I've been searching for my twin sister ever since Rosemary Town was attacked by raiders... And I finally found a link to here," Gray said as calmly as possible, using the very, minuscule details of the girls past that Gloria provided.

But he was feeling anxious. He was a fighter, not a spy. And watching the security guard approach, to stand behind the desk clerk, he quickly wanted to attack.

But he held back. He knew the stakes, and he knew how important this was.

"Can I see your identification card, please." The guard suddenly asked his tone rough and annoyed as his hand drifted towards the gun on his belt making Gray sigh.

"I don't have it on me, let me go get it, and I'll be right back!" Gray suddenly announced as he turned around to head towards the door, only to be stopped by the guard's voice.

"What is your name, or I am going to have to arrest you for being on private property." The guard said as he walked around the desk, standing directly behind Gray.

But before either of them could make a move, the sounds of sirens broke into the room, making the staff's eyes shoot open while the guard quickly withdrew his gun, shooting the black haired man before them in the back as he tried to run out the door.

But what none of them ever expected, was to see the man's body shatter and crack into ice.

 **Happy's PoV**

'These idiots are dumber than rune knights!' Happy thought amusedly as he kept a good ten feet between him and the four guards leading him to their room, having to hide behind shelf or pillar as doctors and family members ran by, escorting their guests towards a safer room as they tracked down the source of the intrusion.

But it got trickier when they disappeared through a door, to a staircase, but the commotion of people running through the halls was large enough for his small, four-foot tall body to sneak through the door just before it closed, a smile on his face as he caught sight of the four exiting through another door only a level below.

And so he was off, his wings sprouting from his back as he flew towards the door, his black-gloved paw barely catching the door before it closed before he carefully opened it, revealing him to be in a white level of the building, entirely summed up by the word sterile.

But that was good because it allowed Happy to catch the boot of the guards turning around the corner due to all the white. The walls were painted a bright white, and the floors a white marble.

There were no chairs or side tables or anything of the sort. There were just metal doors, placed every twelve feet.

But Happy paid no attention to that as he quietly ran down the hall, before turning down the same corner they did, before stopping. He could hear their voices now, the commander giving out even more orders, prompting Happy to stay put.

He carefully poked his head around the corner, catching sight of the guards standing in front of one of the many met doors. Two of the guards moved to stand on each side of the frame, while their commander and another stood across.

"...w you two stay here and keep your eyes peeled, our duty is to protect the patients. And whatever you do, do not open this door." The captain ordered and the two saluted, before he and his secondary turned around, to go back the way they came.

But happy was faster, he disappeared the second they saluted, using his max speed to shoot off to one of the side hallways, taking no time to even look for cameras as he moved to hide. He waited and listened, his hands scanning through his hidden pockets as his keen ears caught the sound of the stairwell door being opened once more.

Happy stood there for a minute extra, his hand wrapped a pair of knuckles as he waited for the door to close.

He slowly peeked his head around the corner, seeing an empty hallway and a closed door. The coast was clear.

He ran silently, his padded feet touching the polished white marble silently as he approached his goal. His empty hand grabbed a simple marble from his pocket. Such a simple thing could be the most useful tool, and Happy was trained right. He quickly threw the marble into the hallway, the sound of glass hitting rock catching the guards off guard, and that was all Happy needed.

He struck first, but quiet, the speed he gained from running only amplified when his aera shot out of his back, propelling him towards them in under a second.

He struck the first guard at the back of his neck where it joined with his shoulder, the knuckles on his hand striking the pressure point, knocking the man out. But before he could even fall to the ground Happy planted his feet in his back, shooting the man towards the other guard, a small cry of shock falling out of the man's mouth as his partner fell on top of him.

And Happy quickly ran forward, pulling his arm back before punching the last guard in the face, the knuckles brutally breaking his nose, but the pain was enough to knock him out.

"Crap... I'm almost out of magic already," Happy muttered as he stepped over the two stupid guards, before noticing the lock system on the door.

With a sigh, the cat turned boy carefully patted the two guards down, looking for a keycard to open the door.

"Thank Mavis," Happy sighed in relief as his fingers closed around the card, easily tearing it off their lanyard before approaching the door, and swiping the lock.

And luck was on team Happy today, as a green light flashed, and the sounds of the lock turning crackled through the silent hallway, allowing Happy to carefully pull open the door.

Revealing an unconscious, purple haired woman resting on a white bed, only their head visible as machines ran around its body, most likely keeping her stable.

Happy sighed as he walked towards the woman, pulling back the sheets and carefully removing the tubes connected to her body before picking her up, just glad he had trained with the two slayers enough, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to mover her.

And so he went about his escape, slowly, but quietly walking towards the stairs, hoping to God that Gray was somewhere nearby.

 **Gray's PoV**

"What the hell, security wasn't supposed to be this good... What the hell is this place..." The ice mage muttered as he watched guards rush towards the entrance of the building from inside a supply closet.

He stepped back from the door, as he looked for anything that could cover himself.

Luckily, he had locked himself in a linen closet, with face masks, hair nets, lab coats, and gowns. It was practically a disguise goldmine.

And so Gray emerged not even three minutes later dressed as a surgeon as he carefully made his way towards a staircase, surprised by how empty the hallways were now.

"Alright, where in the hell would they put a staircase," Gray muttered as he prowled through the hallways, his eyes scanning every door he crossed until he finally found one, five minutes later. Five minutes of walking through halls randomly in the hopes of finding what he needed.

"This must be the only staircase in the entire building," Gray muttered as his blue-gloved hand quickly, but quietly opened the door. Gray slipped through, scanning the stairs above him, looking for anyone, but luck was on their side.

Which was a good thing, because the entire plan was based on luck.

Gray was at the second story when he heard a door open above him, revealing two guards dressed in black protective gear, who quickly made their way down, making Gray curse as his head shot around, looking for a place to hide.

They were above him now, and only seconds away from catching him, he cursed before jumping up, his hands grabbing the stairs above him as he lifted his legs up, holding himself flush with the stairs, hoping to God that they wouldn't see him.

But every streak runs out eventually.

They noticed him the second they turned the corner, shocked as to why a doctor was acting so strangely.

"Get down and put your arms up!" The captain commanded making Gray sigh as he releases the stairs, making sure to make his fall sloppy, but harmless. He landed on his hands and knees, making a painful noise, snapping noise.

The captains secondary quickly approached, while the captain kept his gun planted the man, neither of them aware Gray had simply snapped a thick, but a small piece of ice in his hands when he impacted the ground.

Once the secondary was within two feet of his crunched form, he struck like a cobra, his hands quickly disarming and restraining the man in his grasp, making sure to keep his head down, and the secondary in front of himself at all times.

The captain was worried, the sheer efficiency of which he turned the secondary into a hostage was shocking and scary. He was simply the head security officer of this treatment facility, and the most he ever had to take care of was a runaway patient or angry citizen.

But this man clearly trained, his hand had a firm grasp on the secondaries neck, and the other held the gun at the bottom of his rib cage. And thus, a stalemate.

"You're going to put your gun down, and let me leave, or this guy gets it," Gray growled out, his voice cracking in his sad attempt to disguise his voice.

The captain looked his secondary in the eyes, seeing pure fear rampant on his face as he looked at his captain, and he made his decision.

The captain slowly removed his finger from the trigger, before bending over and placing it on the ground, shoeing his submission.

Gray simply nodded his head to the left, indicating to the man to continue down the stairs.

The captain kept his hands palm up as he slowly walked down to the first floor, nervously checking behind him to make sure his secondary was still alright.

But once they reached the first floor Gray pointed the tip of the gun towards the door he came in through, and the captain nodded his head as he slowly walked forwards, his hands shaking as he slowly opened the door.

Until he heard a smack.

Turning around he was shocked to see his secondary falling to the floor, and the man in scrubs was now upon him.

The captain screamed as his face was met with the man's glove, and the force was so great it sent him slamming into the wall behind him.

"Gray!" A familiar voice called out. His head shot up, his eyes meeting Happy's, and a smile grew on his face.

"You found her! Good, now let's get out of here!" Gray called back as he ran up the stairs, not even caring to ask what exactly that form was, it will be explained afterward.

It took him only twenty seconds to get to the third floor, his blood pumping adrenaline through his veins faster than before as he carefully took the woman out of Happy arms, letting the blue cat sigh in relief.

"Okay, now follow me," Happy whispered as he led Gray upstairs, his small lithe body requiring him to take every step, unlike Gray who was taking two at a time. Happy lead Gray right front of a door, his hand moving towards his face as he gestured for Gray to be quiet.

And upon receiving a nod Happy slowly opened the door, poking his head through and checking for anyone before opening it further, and allowing Gray to go through first.

"This way," Happy whispered as he leads Gray down an empty hall, adorned with motel art, wooden chairs and a few benches.

"Where are we going?" Gray whispered back" as he slowly followed Happy through the halls, waiting silently when he checked ahead and doing his best not to jostle the girl in his arms too much.

"They have the entrance covered, this is the only way," Happy grumbled as they approached a wooden door, making Gray sigh as he realized what the cat had planned.

But Gray had no want, nor time to argue as they had already reached Kagura's old room, with broken glass shards scattered across the plain blue carpet.

"So what's the plan exactly?" Gray asked as he set Kagura down on the bed momentarily, as he checked the hallway before closing the door.

"Jump," Happy said as he pulled his hand out of his robe, a glowing white lacrima in his hand making Gray sigh.

 **Gloria's PoV**

'where are they,' she thought worriedly as she stood on the sidewalk inside the crowd of pedestrians as they watched the guards scan exits, worried about what was going on since nobody was saying anything.

"Please remain calm, this is just a drill," one of the doctors announced as he stared at the growing crowd. And it didn't help that everyone could tell he was lying, by the way, his voice cracked the guards stood armed at the exits.

"What's going on! My daughter is in there!" A random voice protested, making everyone else put in their own two cents.

And what was a worried crowd became a riot?

Until a white flash and everyone, but all Gloria could feel was a relief, even though it felt as if her eyes were burning.

It took almost a minute until she could see again, spots in her eyes as she searched for any signs of Happy or Gray until she felt a tap on her calf. She groggily turned to see who it was, and a smile bloomed on her face when she saw a smiling, albeit tired Happy staring back at her.

And nobody had a clue as to what happened, and what was going on. But Gloria couldn't have been happier ad she scooped Happy up in her arms and ran away.

* * *

AAnd onto the reviews.

Everyone, unfortunately, my schedule may have become even tighter... Do you want larger chapters every two weeks, or small chapters like this weekly, for now? If you want details, send me a pm. But I refuse to give up on this, so yeah.


	44. Trials and Tribulations

And Onto the Story!

 **Ultear's PoV**

"This way, and let's not cause too much of a scene, Magnolia has been stressed enough," Ultear commanded as she leads an entire regimen of rune knights, including their commander Lahar off of their separate train car, immediately catching the attention of every citizen in a two block radius.

"Why are they all staring at us?" A new recruit fresh out of the academy asked nervously as they began marching towards the Fairy Tail Guild, getting a dirty glare from Ultear, annoyed that he had spoken out of line.

"It's because they're worried. An entire regimen is heading towards their guild, one that was recently attacked by another legal guild." Lahar spoke as he continued to face forward, his right hand raising the folder in his hand, containing all the information they had for the case thus far.

After another glare from Ultear when someone decided to speak up, there was finally silence in the air, albeit awkward. Everyone stopped what they were doing the minute they saw the rune knights. Shoppers put down their baskets. Workers put down their tools, and pedestrians stopped and stared, making some of the newer rune knights very, very uncomfortable.

One of the rune knights moved to leave formation to chase after a teenager that was clearly running to warn Fairy Tail, only to be stopped by their Lahar himself.

"Return to formation Corporal. We are not here to arrest anyone, only to interview witnesses and assess the situation. And, if one of them is found guilty, then we will arrest. But not sooner. If this goes wrong the council will quickly lose favor in the public, and for that, we cannot stand." Lahar explained, his tone calm, and almost monotonous, but the edge of his voice clearly showed his annoyance, making some even gulp of fright.

"That is correct. Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail were Fiore's strongest guilds in both strength and public appreciation. If we mess this up riots could start all across Fiore. And as of right now, Phantom Lord is in the wrong." Ultear commented as she caught sight of the pillars of Iron slowly being lowered to the ground by ropes of fire and wooden supports, but it was obvious most of the deconstruction was already completed.

It was now clear that Fairy Tail was aware of them, by the way, they had all stopped working, even Elfman who was practically holing one of the twenty feet long pillars of iron with his hands, and stared at the oncoming Rune Knights.

"Brats, get back to work! This guild won't build itself!" Makarov called out, snapping all his children out of their stupor as they restarted their tasks. Some salvaging of resources, other's loading carts of metals to be resold at a smithery. And the rest were on break, taking a snack and a glass of lemonade as Makarov and Erza awaited the knights.

"I suppose it would be too much to assume you're here to assist in construction?" Makarov asked with a sigh as he began to hobble towards the knights, his left hand clenched upon his walking stick with Erza at his side.

"Unfortunately Saint Dreyar, we are here to complete our investigation..." Lahar replied as he scanned the work site, taking a headcount, but that didn't mean he missed the nod passed between the Titania and councilwoman.

"Ahh, yes... Anything we can do to help?" Makarov asked with a sigh as he looked up at the commander, unable to shake the sense of foreboding from his chest as he watched Lahar check his folder.

"Yes, would you have any idea where Saint Dragneel is? We need to question him since he was sent to diffuse the situation." Lahar responded evenly as he looked up from his folder, closing it and holding it against his chest.

"Erza, if you would please?" Makarov asked as he looked the scarlet-haired knight in the eyes, not wanting Natsu's home to be common knowledge since he went through all the trouble to build it near the forest, hiding in plain sight.

"Excuse me?" Lahar asked, his brow raised above the frame of his glasses as he looked at the redhead, stopping her misstep as she turned away.

"I am going to retrieve Saint Dragneel for you, even though it is useless, he probably already knows you're here," Erza said as she looked Lahar in the eyes, her recent encounter with Ultear making her less confident in the council's ability to keep Fiore safe.

Because if Ultear was on the council, along with... _him,_ who else had a double agenda?

"I would like to-" Lahar began, only for his brows to furrow when both Erza and Makarov looked over his shoulder, feeling an unfamiliar magic presence approaching at a very fast pace.

"As I said, he already knew you were here," Erza said with a smile as everyone, even the rune knights broke out of formation, turning to watch as a ball of pink, black and white fire slammed into the ground, causing a small cloud of dust to shoot up, dissipating after a few seconds, revealing the saint and Miss Fiore herself, hand in hand.

"Saint Dragneel, nice of you to join us, was the entrance necessary?" Ultear asked amusedly as she looked at the two who began to walk forwards, their hands slipping apart as they recognized the severity of the situation.

"Nice to meet you in person Councilwoman Milkovich, and to be honest? It sure beats walking." Natsu said with a small smirk as he and Mira came to a stop beside Erza and Makarov, almost forming a triangle with three people, while some of the rune knights stared at Mira in shock... And a tinge of lust.

"I can only imagine... You look well for defeating 5 S Class mages and a Wizard Saint if the current reports are to be trusted?" Ultear replied, a matching smirk on her lips as she purposely looked Natsu over, trailing her eyes over his body, making him very uncomfortable.

Lahar, however, was confused as to the sense of familiarity they had, their banter seemingly almost like flirting as he watched them interact quietly until he noticed Mirajane seeming nervous. Anger bubbled in his chest when hr instantly solved why, as he turned back to his rune knights, catching Natsu's attention as Lahar sent a scathing glare at the new recruits.

"You two! Set up interrogation tents over there," Lahar commanded, his voice low as he pointed at two of his knights, who instantly responded to his command. "The rest of you, please begin collecting statements," Lahar ordered looked to the rest.

And just like that, the rune knights instantly dispersed in pairs of two, a third of them heading towards the gathered Fairy Tail members, while the rest headed for the open city.

"Please do forgive me for asking, but I was unaware that one of the nine would be coming as well?" Makarov commented as he sent a glare towards Natsu, not out of jealousy, but of worry.

"This is a very important matter, we only felt it best to supervise the investigation, lest someone creates an incident," Ultear commented ominously, making Makarov nod with a grunt.

"I would offer you use my office, but..." Makatov commented, a smile on his face almost mirroring the one on Natsu's as his right arm gestured to their destroyed building.

"That is quite alright, in fact, Jose Porla practically insisted that all bills be sent to him, including your guild hall... How strange," Lahar commented with a glare pointed towards Natsu, skeptical as to how hr disappeared so easily after the fight, leaving a broken Wizard Saint on the ground.

Everyone, including Erza, turned to Natsu in shock, who for the first time today had a serious expression on his face, completely changing his presence, reminding everyone he was, in fact, the sixth strongest person in all of Fiore, but after his recent display of power, it seemed the ranks may need to be adjusted.

He almost, single-handedly defeated Phantom Lord, while Makarov was taken out by Aria and Jose... That is a feat that maybe one of the four couldn't achieve.

"Perhaps it is possible Jose saw the error of his ways and had an epiphany?" Natsu offered humorously, his face straight as possible, but on the inside, he was screaming.

'How on Earth did you do that?!' Natsu screamed inside his head, prompting the demon to stir, to rear its head and answer the call.

 **'For someone who has killed two Etherious demons, you know nothing of them. It's called"** END began, only to be quickly cut off.

'You know what, we'll talk later, too many people around, including a telepathy,' Natsu commented with a tinge of sadness. But he also felt hope. Inside himself, he found a treasure trove of both knowledge and power, untapped.

 **'Very well... But I will have requests of mine own,'** END demanded, before retreating to the depths of Natsu's mind, monopolizing on Natsu's Broken focus, forcing him to strike a deal... With the devil.

"Do I need to remind you how serious this is? Inspectors found receipts for a Jupiter Canon, of all things in one of Phantom Lords branches..." Lahar commented with a glare, annoyed that the Saint will clearly blur the truth.

"Who was the first to discover your guildhall?" Ultear asked, her eyes leaving Natsu's form to look at Makarov, who sighed.

"I was... May I help you?" Mira asked helpfully, a worried look on her face as she looked at Ultear.

"I'll take your statement now... Lahar, proceed with the investigation, I have an errand to run." Ultear commented as she turned to walk away, leaving Mira behind, confused, until Makarov gestured for her to follow the councilwoman.

"Natsu, if you'll come with me... Erza, please stay here, I wish to speak to you next," Lahar commanded as he approached one of the tents the knights had set up on Fairy Tail property, with runes drawn on the ground all around the tent, for privacy.

Erza simply nodded as she turned back to her guildmates, her voice stern as she commanded those not being interviewed to go back to work.

Makarov was left alone, his heart clenching in worry as he watched Mira and Ultear walk away, before turning to Natsu and Lahar, his head shooting between the two pairs before his shoulders slumped.

"Mavis give me strength..." Makarov muttered as he turned around, hobbling back to Reedus, curious to see what design he had cooked up for them.

 **Lahar's PoV**

"Please have a seat," Lahar commented as he walked around the wooden table placed in the center of the tent, a lighting lacrima hanging down from the support rod above the table.

The second Natsu passed through the tent doorway, the two rune knights approached the doorway, and seconds later it flashed blue, meaning it was now sealed. The Saint sighed as he pulled back his chair before sitting down across from the Captain.

"I'm going to tell you what we know, and you'll give your input, and correct it," Lahar stated as he pulled a pyramid-shaped lacrima up onto the table, before pressing the vertex, as it began to flash blue.

But Natsu was familiar with it, as he nodded his head, his eyes drifting over the standard issue recording lacrima before looking at the interrogator.

"Phantom attacked in the middle of the night, not only defiling your guild hall but marking your guildmates," Lahar recited as he slid a picture across the table, displaying a picture of Team Shadow hair strung up against a tree, with their emblem emblazoned on her midriff.

"Makarov lead a group in revenge, attacking in Oak Town. But between the element four, Gajeel and Jose they were defeated, and ran." Lahar continued making Natsu sigh.

"Aria used Metsu, stealing Makarov's magic, I'm sure you know the consequences of such a thing," Natsu commented making Lahar's eyes shoot open in shock, amazed Makarov was even walking now.

"However Phantom Lord kidnapped Lucy Heartfillia, taking her to the Heartfillia estate for a wedding." Jose read as he looked up to Natsu, curious as to his input there.

"Jude, Lucy's estranged father, had hired Phantom Lord to find her. That was the catalyst for the war," Natsu said as he leaned back in his chair, honestly impressed with their runes, as he could only barely hear things outside the tent if he strained his ears.

"Then you lead an assault, somehow healing Makarov, defeating the entire element four... But we only found three out of the five S Class mages." Lahar commented as he looked up to glare at Natsu, clearly conveying Lahar knew the state of the mages.

"Yeah... If you want I can have a friend of mine look at Aria?" Natsu offered, knowing they would never let him look at Aria after everything.

"No, that is quite alright, the council has many healers within its ranks... Where is Gajeel Redfox, and Juvia Lockser?" Lahar asked as he looked up at Natsu, assuming the worst given Aria's current state.

"They are in Magnolia, currently seeking entrance to Fairy Tail actually... Funny how things work," Natsu commented calmly, leaving out the fact Gajeel was seeking guidance, and that he befriended Juvia.

It would not do well for his reputation if people knew he chose friendship over victory.

"Oh, well I would like to speak to them as well, the Phantoms we found were not willing to share." Lahar commented, actually surprised.

"I do not know-" Natsu started, only to be cut off by Lahar's disbelieving stare, knowing very well what the saint was capable of.

"Then you went to the Heartfilia Estate, did combat with an unknown assailant outside the grounds. Then you trespassed on private property, broke into their home, removed Lucy from her home, and destroyed the grounds," lahar read off, with Natsu's eyes growing wider, and wider throughout his explanation, before turning to look at the saint, relishing Natsu's worry.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself? Because, as of right know, Natsu Dragneel, You are under arrest for Trespassing, mischief, property damage, and aggravated assault," Lahar explained making Natsu grit his teeth.

 **Gray's PoV**

 **'** They were supposed to be here by now...' Gray thought worriedly as he looked at Kagura, who he had sat on the booth beside him, her head resting on his shoulder with his arm around her. They were currently sitting in a cafe a block away from the facility, which begs the question.

Where the hell

"Ding" went the cute little bell on the door, alerting people, but more importantly the employees, that a customer was walking in, and to Gray's relief, he recognized both.

"Gloria! Over here!" Gray said with a smile on his face, as he waved his right hand and waved both her and the cat in her arms over.

Gloria turned to him, her face exploding in a grateful smile as she saw both Gray and Kagura, sitting there, unharmed.

She quickly ran over, before sliding into the booth across from them, her happiness radiating off her like Uranium and radiation.

"You did it! What on earth happened in there?" Gloria whisper shouted as she gently placed Happy on the table, before her hands shot across the table, reaching out to her friend, even though she couldn't reach her hands.

"I used the diversion to hide, then I had to take out two guards. Then I saw Happy struggling to carry Kagura at the top of the staircase..." Gray whispered making Gloria turn to Happy, only to sigh when they saw the cat curled up, sleeping on the table.

"Right..." Gray muttered as he saw the sleeping cat. He and Gloria locked eyes, and they quickly decided to give Happy a break.

And while Gray was glad Happy was there to help, he couldn't help but feel annoyed. Natsu sent Happy along to help, almost as if he knew Gray couldn't do it on his own. And he was torn between anger and appreciation.

"Is there anything I can help you with today?" A waitress asked as she approached the table, a small smile growing on the woman's face when she saw Gray and Kagura sitting there, assuming comfortable intimacy. And Gray never thought he would be grateful for such a thing.

"Do you have any raw fish?" Gloria asked, confused the waitress until the brunette gestured to the sleeping cat on the table, having had been overlooks as a bag, or bundle of cloth. Especially because the cat was blue.

 **Mira's PoV**

The earlier conversation was very telling, and her fears were proven true. Ultear definitely had a thing for Natsu, she was gorgeous, and he had no clue.

'Why hasn't she said anything?!' Mira internally screamed as they continued to walk through the city, attracting quite a bit of attention as well.

"Where is my mother," Ultear suddenly asked, breaking minutes long silence as she stopped on a street corner, her voice sharper than a knife as she broke Mira out of her thoughts.

And then everything fell into place for Mira. Ultear didn't care about the conflict, she used it as a ruse to see her mother.

But could Mira risk revealing Porlyusica's location?

"I can't tell you that, she is currently with our two best healers in a safe house, known only to those who wear our guild mark," Mira replied, her tone solid and unwavering, making Ultear sigh, but she did not want to resort to violence.

"I know she's with Porlyusica, and Shiko as well?" Ultear asked questioningly, but she continued before Mira could reply. "But can you please tell me about how she's doing?" Ultear asked, a smidgen of desperation riding on her voice as she looked the white-haired model in the eyes.

"Physically she's in perfect shape, but she can't wake up. And sometimes her hands are shaking but remains unconscious... Porlyusica thinks it has something to do with her mind as if she is stuck in a loop, unable to break out." Mira described, making Ultear sigh... Until she had an idea.

"I might know someone who could help us... But it will take some time to get her down here," Ultear replied, making Mira's heart practically drop, worried that yet another woman would come down and fall for Natsu.

"We were considering asking our guilds telepath Warren to make a connection, to see if he could get a read on her mind, but Natsu told us to wait for your opinion since you are her last blood relative," Mira replied as she looked at Ultear, watching as a smile grew on the woman's face, practically shining in appreciation, making Mira sigh.

"We need to talk," Mira replied as she grabbed Ultear's hand, and began dragging her towards her home, leaving Ultear slightly befuddled, but she was curious as to where this was going to go.

 **Natsu's PoV**

"Maybe, I can explain what was happening before you arrest me?" Natsu asked, doing his very best to remain calm, especially since he thought his ranking would give him a sort of credibility... And he had forgotten how much the council truly hated his guild.

"Very well, but I doubt a simple explanation will drop all charges." Lahar replied, nodding his head as he closed the case file and sat back in his chair, preparing himself for Natsu's "story".

"First off, Jude is a terrible father who is only using Lucy for a business deal. His assistant Gloria can confirm that. And the unknown assailant I fought outside the estate? Was a mage from Trinity Raven, hired by Jude to ensure that nobody interfered with the wedding." Natsu explained, making Lahar's eyes widen in shock, but he remained where he was.

"I and Jose fought as far from people as we could. I was simply trying to save a friend from an unwanted marriage. I was forced to go full force when he pulled out death magic," Natsu explained making Lahar's eyes narrow because Natsu's explanation was matching up with the residual magic signatures they got from the scene of the crime.

"And the battle in oak town?" Lahar asked, curious to see what explanation Natsu had, even though he didn't have nearly enough proof to back it up.

"I was fighting the element four, and Gajeel in a populated area, forgive me if I disabled them before civilians got hurt," Natsu replied with a smirk on his face, making Lahar nod his head.

"But what proof do you have? How do I know that Trinity Raven was actually present?" Lahar asked, making Natsu sigh, because he had none, unless...

"What if you were to have a telepath project my memories? Surely that will explain enough," Natsu suggested making Lahar raise his left brow in curiosity, before nodding.

"Perhaps, but that will still require me to take you in," Lahar reminded making Natsu smirk.

"I know, and I'll come willingly. Save yourself the trouble of trying to use magic cuffs," Natsu said making Lahar nod his head again, the faintest hints of a smile dancing across his lips as he stood up, before deactivating the recording lacrima, and putting it in his pocket.

"Natsu Dragneel, you are under arrest for Trespassing and property damage. Anything you can be used against you in a court of law..." Lahar recited making Natsu nod as he put his hands behind him, as Lahar placed his hand on the tent, disabling the sealing runes allowing the door to be opened.

The second Natsu walked out, with Lahar behind him, everyone turned to them, curious to see what happened. And all of them were shocked when Lahar gestured for two rune knights to grab Natsu, as they began bringing him to the second tent, the closest thing they had to a holding cell.

"What is going on? I thought you were simply collecting statements?!" Makarov raged as his magic unconsciously flared, his size growing as he approached his grandson in all but blood and name.

"He is under arrest, and will stand on trial," Lahar explained making some gasp in shock, while others, surprisingly, kept silent. Unsure as to how to respond or act, because what did they really know of him other than strength and name?

However, some were more vocal than others...

"On what charges!" Erza demanded as she stormed towards Lahar, her eyes colder than ice as she approached the commander, with her left hand resting on the pommel of her sword. Sherry and Elfman also walked forward, stopping their work as they waited for Lahar's explanation.

"The damage caused at Jude's estate is up in the hundreds of thousands and he's pressing charges, not to mention Natsu trespassed on his property. And let's not forget Aria..." Lahar explained making Erza steam, her anger towards Lucy's father skyrocketing with her magic as she looked at the stoic man.

"She was kidnapped, for a marriage against her will! Natsu was just saving her!" Erza argued, a dangerous scowl on her face as she looked at Lahar until Makarov placed his hand on her shoulder.

"And Jude had every right to press charges either way," Makarov commented, a frown on his face as he stared at Natsu, who was simply standing there with his hands in his pocket.

"And what of Aria? Of Sol or Totomaru? Neither of them is capable of work for approximately the next three weeks, and Aria? May never walk again," Lahar explained making everyone gasp, while Natsu winced, upset that his progress at his guild might have been undermined.

"Say what now?" Macao asked as he and Wakaba walked forward, prompting everyone, including Reedus to stop what they were doing and listen in closer to Lahar.

"You heard correctly. Aria's spine was broken just below the brain stem. Totomaru suffers second-degree burns and his arm is broken. Sol got the best out of both, but his body is covered in bruises." Lahar explained making some look at Natsu horrified, appalled that he was so brutal in his assault.

"Natsu-sama is innocent!" A new voice cried out from off near the city, making everyone look for the voice, confused until they saw a certain bluenette running forward.

It was Juvia.

"Miss Lockser I assume?" Lahar asker as he looked at Juvia more closely, making sure it was actually her, and not someone using transformation magic.

"Yes! Juvia and Gajeel can testify for Natsu-sama, Juvia refuses to see her only other friend put in jail!" The bluenette announced, a frown on her face as she stopped beside Erza, making the scarlet haired woman smile in amusement, honestly surprised at how some strangers were more loyal to Natsu than his old guildmates.

"How can you explain those injuries? They were unnecessary," Lahar contested as he looked at the bluenette, confused as to what her argument was.

"Aria was using his _Windwalker_ to sneak and use Metsu on Natsu-sama. Juvia also has Jose's original plans," juvia said as she reached into her coat, pulling out a blue folder, and handing it to Lahar.

"That aside, Natsu's level of brutality used on a legal mage is still unacceptable. He is supposed to be a wizard saint, an example of what aspiring mages should be," Lahar argued calmly, a certain sparkle in his eyes that showed he _knew_ they couldn't drop that charge.

"On another note, Could you please bring Gajeel Redfox here? I assume he's in town, Erza Scarlet, please join me for an interview," Lahar practically demanded as he turned around, entering the interrogation tent leaving a very conflicted crowd, and depressed Juvia.

"Its alright, Juv, thank you," Natsu said as he opened his eyes to look at the bluenette before he was pulled into the holding tent.

 **Makarov's PoV**

The Fairies were silent as they watched two of their strongest mages, escorted into different tents. Some were conflicted, some disgusted, and others worried.

"I hate to say it, but I agree with Lahar," Macao announced, a frown on his face as he turned around, only to be met with a cry of outrage from the least expected person, Sherry.

"How can you say that?! Natsu saved us!?" Sherry cried out in shock as she looked at the purple haired man, making everyone take a step back in surprise.

"Yeah, and he also disabled a man for life," Macao countered, his stance bring that of a father, knowing his son looked up to Natsu, and he definitely didn't want Romeo to think that was okay to do.

"You are his guildmates! Why don't you believe him! Where is this family I have heard so much of?" Sherry asked, confused. Natsu had given her a new goal in life, while also allowing her to gain some closure from the past.

She had heard so much in the guild, saw them laugh together, fight together... They accepted her with open arms and no questions, so why couldn't they accept Natsu.

And then they all went silent.

"I'm on Natsu's side," Bisca spoke up, her slight southern accent attracting everyone attention as they walked to Sherry's side.

"You didn't see Master almost die in your arms. Sure he may have looked bad after Aria sucked his magic, but to see him with one foot out death's door? I'm surprised Natsu held that much restraint." Alzack said as he stood by his crush.

"That's beside the point. Aria will never walk again, never eat on his own, Natsu might as well have killed him," Wakaba argued as he stood by Macao's side.

"That's enough! This is not up to you, but I'm disappointed you don't at least try to see Natsu's side." Makarov interjected, not wanting to see his guild chose sides, especially over someone who was supposed to be one of their own.

"Noe get back to work," Makarov said with a sigh as he walked towards his barrel of beer, his head down, and an unseen tear sliding down his cheek as he heard Juvia runoff, most likely to find Gajeel.

 **Gray's PoV**

"You never actually told me what was wrong with her," Gray said as he gently laid Kagura down on the booth of their train car, before sitting beside Gloria across from the unconscious woman with Happy in her arms.

"That's the weird part... Nobody knows," Gloria said, an uncertain expression on her face as she began to unconsciously stroke the cat in her arms.

"Say what now?" Gray asked confused as he looked at Kagura, curiously in his gaze as he scanned the surprising health woman over, especially since it appeared as if none of her muscles began to atrophy at all.

"Yeah... We were finally legally old enough to leave our orphanage. We were finally both sixteen and we went out to celebrate... We snuck into a bar, and then she met a guy, next thing I know, I wake up, and she never did..." Gloria explained, her voice strained and eyes watering as she remembered that painful memory.

Screaming for her friend to wake up, shaking her, prodding her, even slapping her. For a second she thought Kagura was dead... And then the doctor announced she was in a weird coma

Gray for once, did something out of character, he wrapped Gloria in his arms and pressed her against his chest, stroking her back as she began to cry, feeling a weird amount of anger build in his chest as his mind went over something she said, over and over...

Who was this guy?

 **Erza's PoV**

"if you would please have a seat," Lahar gestured with an annoying amount of calmness in his tone, making Erza want to slap the man as she sat down across from him, watching as he pulled out a blue lacrima that looked like a pyramid, before placing it in the center of the wooden table and pressing the vertex, causing it to glow blue.

"I would like for you to explain what happened when you reached Oak Town," Lahar explained as he sat back in his chair, a serious look on his face as he stared at the scarlet haired woman.

"Master had given us a plan of attack. Gray and I were to engage in hand to hand, while the rest used range spells to distract the rest. Master, was to go fight Jose himself, as we were no match." Ezra explained, inhaling deeply as she attempted to quell her anger.

"Immediately, we noticed that the element four was absent, with only Gajeel engaging in combat with us, I was his opponent," Erza explained making Lahar nod.

"Do you know where the element four was?" Lahar asked curiously as he wrote something down in his file.

"We later learned that Aria was hiding with Jose while Juvia and Sol were in Magnolia, searching for Lucy," Erza explained making Lahar nod.

"And what of Totomaru?" Lahar asked as he looked at the Titania.

"I am uncertain," Erza replied making Lahar nod as he wrote something else in his folder.

"Gajeel is my match, neither of us was able to beat the other, but out fight was cut short when Makarov broke through the floor above us, forcing me to catch him. And then we pulled back, but in the chaos Aria kidnapped Lucy," Erza explained, emphasizing the fact she was kidnapped making Lahar smirk.

"Phantom made to follow us, knowing they outnumbered us, hoping to finish us off since were injured and tired. Gajeel however, commanded they stand down since they already had Lucy." Erza explained making Lahar raise a brow before writing something else down in his folder.

"And then we were ambushed by Juvia and Sol who were returning from Magnolia empty-handed. And so they defeated us and captured us in compensation, hoping to stave Jose's rage." Erza continued making Lahar frown, the implications evident in her tone.

"And what of Makarov?" Lahar asked as he looked up from his folder.

"In the fight, I was barely able to hide him under bags of trash with my telekinesis, knowing Natsu would find him," Erza said, making sure that it went on record that Natsu saved him.

"Then we woke up, locked up in a dog kennel, piled up like dead bodies, and then our guildmates saved us," Erza said, doing her best to paint Phantom Lord badly, knowing how dire Natsu's case was.

"And were you present for Saint Dragneel's fight with their S-Class mages?" Lahar asked, hoping to have more witness to the fight.

"No, we started treating the injured, next thing we know, Natsu is walking in the back door with Juvia at his side, and Gajeel over his shoulder," Erza stated making Lahar write yet another thing in his folder before looking up.

"And what state was Gajeel Redfox in?" Lahar asked as he looked the titania in the eyes, no ounce of fear present in his own.

"Magically exhausted and scuffed up, Juvia, however, was in perfect shape, most likely because of her water body," Erza explained making Lahar write something down.

"And then Natsu left with his flaming body to stop the wedding after getting the location from a conscious Gajeel," Erza explained making Lahar nod.

"It is on the record, Saint Dragneel reported that Jude Heartfilia had hired Trinity Raven, do you have any proof to back up his statement?" Lahar queried making Erza sigh.

"It is also on the record, that Jose was reported to have used Death magic, is there any proof of that either?" Lahar asked making Erza frown. If it was not clear earlier, the council was trying to make Natsu into a martyr, almost as if they were drawing attention away from the inter-guild conflict by putting Natsu on the stand.

But the only question is why.

 **Mira's PoV**

"Would you like anything? Tea, water" Mira offered the second they had entered her apartment at Fairy Hills, as the model quickly took off her heels, before walking towards the living room.

Ultesr was honestly a little surprised as to how plain, her apartment was. Simple blue, soft rug. Wooden furniture, and cloth couch.

"I'm quite alright," Ultear responded as she followed the model into her home, before sitting on Mira's couch, across from its owner who was sitting on a love seat.

"Okay, umm..." Mira began before trailing off, very obviously nervous making Ultear raise a perfect eyebrow in curiously.

"Feel free to speak freely, count this as off the record," Ultear offered as she watched the usually confident model struggle to finish a sentence.

"Do you like Natsu?!" Mira suddenly blurted out, making Ultear's eyes shoot open in shock, having had never thought that is what she was going to ask. But she could also understand why, especially since she was so flirty earlier.

Ultear was silent for a minute, as she attempted to construct her response.

"Honestly? I don't know... It's weird. I owe a lot to Natsu, he brought my mother back from the dead, willing to literally die just to make me happy... But am I interested in him? Does it matter anyway?" Ultear asked, for once losing her aura that oozed confidence and sexuality.

"What do you mean?" Mira asked, confused as to why stone emotions were unimportant, or irrelevant.

"Clearly you two are a couple, so why ask? Why rub it in? Need someone you tame the dragon?" Ultear asked, regaining her confidence as she smirked at the blushing model.

"N-No! It's just that the amount of people interest in Natsu is going to high, especially in my guild..." Mira explained making Ultear look at her confused. It seemed like such an impossible situation. Two people liking the same person, that's normal. But that many it becomes a problem? That's stuff stories are made of.

"Right, so what exactly are you suggesting? Do we share him? Are you hearing yourself? Look at us! All of us are strong, beautiful women, we shouldn't be forced to share a guy." Ultear explained, a slight pink hue on her cheeks as she looked at Mira.

"I know! I'm not too high on the idea either... But it's better than losing him, or any in the guild because they can't stand to see someone they love someone else." Mira offered lifelessly with a shrug making Ultear sigh as she leaned her elbows on her knees.

"How many people are we talking about here?" Ultear asked skeptically.

"Including me, and you, about nine," Mira said making Ultear's jaw drop in shock, utterly bewildered as to how an idiot like Natsu could pull that off.

"Shit... Well, I still don't know yet, so count me out," Ultear said as she stood up, heading towards Mira's balcony, hoping for some fresh air, making Mira sigh as she watched the conflicted woman walk away, just hoping that everything works out in the end.

 **Erza's PoV**

"Are you going to arrest me too?" Erza asked annoyed as she broke minutes long silence, of Lahar, just staring at the file Juvia, had given him, confused as to why she had to be present.

"No, you are innocent." Lahar said making Erza roll her eyes, her patience with the council, in general, growing very, very thin.

"And Natsu isn't? All you have on him is aggravated assault, but to imprison him would be a crime." Erza argued as she narrowed her eyes at the commander, hoping to use her knowledge of legal proceedings to talk Natsu out of jail.

"Even if that is true, he still has to stand trial, But honestly? I'm still trying to figure out how on Earthland he did it." Lahar replied as he closed the file and placing it on the table, before raising his hand to his face, raising his glasses as he rubbed his eyes.

Erza simply raised a brow in response, making Lahar sigh.

"Natsu should not have come out on top, the odds are so infinitesimal... Something isn't adding up," Lahar replied as he gestured to the lacrima, making Erza realize he had actually turned off the recording, meaning everything was now off the book.

"What are you implying Commander?" Erza asked, cooling her anger that was now overcome by curiosity.

"Either Natsu's hiding something, or the ranks need to be severely adjusted." Lahar explained making Erza look at him shocked.

"He defeated, Gajeel, Aria, Sol, Totomaru... If my suspicions are correct, Fukaru, and Jose, in one day? After saving Makarov? It's almost impossible." Lahar ranted as he got up out of his seat, now pacing in front of Erza, leaving the Titania quite amused.

"Continue commander..." Erza prompted as she watched the stoic man pace nervously.

"He could be stronger than one of the four, definitely stronger than Makarov," Lahar explained as he looked at Erza, making her look at him gobsmacked.

Sure, she knew he was as strong as Makarov, but to replace one of the four at his age? She understood why he was so confused now.

But she had to capitalize on his confusion now.

"And so what if he is? He defeated Lullaby in a single strike! He took out Deliora practically on his own, after reviving Ur, the winter Queen! Surely he is a weapon for justice!" Erza argued making Lahar sigh as he returned to his seat, angry at himself for losing composure.

"Perhaps he is, but he still needs to face the consequences of Paralyzing Aria," Lahar responded humorlessly, his voice devoid of emotion as he stared at Erza, confused as to why she was arguing his case so vehemently, especially since it was clear he was with Mirajane Strauss.

"Instead of jail, why not send him on a mission? Like community service, simply for a wizard saint?" Erza offered, unwilling to let Natsu be punished for doing the right thing.

"That... Is actually an interesting proposition, I shall make sure to bring it up to the council when I report my findings," Lahar commented as he looked at Titania, understanding why people called her Titania because she cares for all her guildmates, like a queen her subjects.

"And what of the property damage?" Erza asked, hoping to decapitate all of the Hydra's heads.

"As I said earlier, Jose was offering to pay for all damages, Oak town, Heartfillia Estate... And even your guild hall. And that's the most confusing thing. How did Natsu, get Jose to submit like that?" Lahar asked as he looked at Erza, hoping she could have the answer for this too.

"Hypothetically... It is possible for Natsu to destroy someone's magic container, perhaps Jose realized that?" Erza said, after checking to make sure no recording lacrima was on, while Lahar tipped his head in consideration.

"Possible, but unlikely. Perhaps this will be a case that never becomes solved?" Lahar offered humorlessly as he looked over the files again.

In a world of magic, explaining things becomes almost impossible, because some magic has been lost to time, others only lost to memory.

"I doubt it," Erza replied with a smirk, having had already learned that Natsu was an enigma that could not be explained, his acts confusing and his knowledge even more so. He was an idiot, but when it came to magic he was a genius.

"Very well, that's all for now," Lahar said with a sigh as he stood up before walking towards the door of the tent, and releasing the runes on the door, and walking out, and even though he learned more, he was left even more confused. And if there was something he was certain of, Phantom Lord was guilty as well.

"You still have to take him in, don't you," Erza asked, a small frown on her face as she followed Lahar out of the tent, surprised to see Cana, Lucy, Yukino and Team Shadow Gear arguing with one of the rune knights.

"What's going on here?!" Lahar demanded as he stormed up to the mages, annoyed that his knights were unable to deal with this matter professionally.

"Erza! Finally, they're kidding, right? How could they arrest Natsu for saving us?" Cana asked as she ran towards Erza, her pace slowing dramatically when she noticed the forlorn look on her face.

"Unfortunately Cana, it is true," Erza replied as she stopped beside Cana, while Lahar continued towards his subordinate.

"On what grounds!" Cana argued as she stomped towards Lahar, not caring of his rank, but for Natsu, the guy who saved all of them from Phantom.

"Trespassing, aggravated assault, property damage," Lahar listed as he looked Cana in the eyes, as she stopped a foot away, anger dancing on her face as she glared at him.

"Trespassing because Phantom kidnapped Lucy? Assault because he was fighting five S-Class mages? Property damage because he beat a Wizard Saint?" Cana protested as she glared at Lahar, making him sigh.

"Jude Heartfillia is pressing charges, my hands are tied... And Aria is literally paralyzed, that cannot go unpunished." Lahar pointed out, making Cana sigh as she clenched her fists at her sides, angry that she could do nothing while Natsu was being punished for something like that.

"What?!" Lucy screamed as she ran forward, angry beyond belief that her own father was trying to put the blame on Natsu of all people. Because he was honestly one of the most genuine people she met, and he just stepped in to help her...

"Ahh yes, Lucy Heartfillia, you're awake, I will need to take your statement," Lahar demanded as he gestured to the tent, making Lucy stomp her feet in anger, literally snapped the heel of her shoes off.

"Well, you can take it right here! Phantom lord kidnapped me, brought me to Jude's Estate against my will so that I could get married to a man I hate. That man isn't even my father anymore!" Lucy raged as she pulled a roll of papers out of her bag, her statement-making everyone's eyes shoot open.

Lahar was surprised when he unrolled the pages, only to see a signed and stamped emancipation form in his hands, declaring that Lucy was now on her own. And that also meant Jude had no control over her at all.

"Why... Was this not on file?" Lahar asked as he looked up to Lucy, noticing the tears building up in her eyes as she stared at the pages... Until he noticed the sate she signed... Yesterday.

"This certainly changes things... Lahar muttered as he walked towards the interrogation tent, both Juvia's and his own files having had been left behind.

The Fairies, on the other hand, walked towards Lucy, worried about her, her body was shaking as she stared at the ground Lahar stood on.

"Lucy, ar-" Cana asked as she stepped in front of Lucy, only to be cut off by the woman in question.

"You saw what he did! And that's not even the tip of the iceberg! He's a terrible Father! That just makes sure I don't have to deal with him anymore," Lucy said as she tried to smile, but everyone could see it was fake, by the tears rolling down her cheeks, and how her lips quivered.

"Oh, Lucy," Levy said as she ran forward, tackling the blonde in a hug, prompting Cana, Yukino and Erza to walk forward as well, showing their support for the blonde as they surrounded her in a group hug, making the other fairies stop to look, feeling the scene pull on their heartstrings.

"Thanks," Lucy whimpered as she broke down in tears, sobbing in her friend's arms. Last night, she was in shock with the adrenaline. But now when the consequences were raining down like a volley of arrows, she crumbled, the stress to great when her crush could be imprisoned because of Jude.

"You're lucky, I have to admit, I'm shocked you got the paperwork through so fast. Usually, this process takes six months," Lahar admitted as he walked out of the tent, the files in his arms, only to stop confused when he saw the women caught up in a group hug.

He turned to one of his subordinates, only to receive a shrug in reply making Lahar sigh, and the silence was broken by a faint, but distinct voice.

"Juvia has found Gajeel-san!" A certain bluenette cried out making everyone look around, even breaking up the group hug.

"There!" Jet cried out as he pointed towards one of the sidewalks near their guild. Juvia was currently attempting to drag a very annoyed dragonslayer towards the guild, the annoyance on his face visible from even one hundred meters away, making Droy began to laugh.

And then everyone simply let go, laughing at Gajeel, because that was a very telling moment. It's clear Gajeel could have stopped her if he wanted to, but he didn't. And that showed heart... But Juvia was trying too hard, a blush of exertion painted on her face as she struggled to pull Gajeel forwards, only getting him to move about five meters every minute.

That was until he finally took notice of the rune knights, and his sudden change in will almost made Juvia fall over if Gajeel had not caught her arm.

"Why didn't you tell me about the rune knights?" Gajeel bit out as he began running forward the second Juvia was not about to fall over, his eyes narrowing when he figured out what was going on.

Juvia stood there shocked, a comical expression on her face as she watched Gajeel run towards the rune knights, rather than away. She honestly thought he would bolt the second they were brought up, but he didn't.

"Gajeel Redfox, I see you're eager for your interview," lahar commented with a raised brow as Gajeel stopped in front of him, his speed even faster than his file said, the way he blurred, moving faster than his eyes could completely process.

"Where's Dragneel," Gajeel demanded as he glared at Lahar, confusing the commander as to why he cared since they were enemies not even twenty-four hours earlier. Lahar assumed that Gajeel's pride as a dragonslayer had taken a hit to be humiliated, but it appeared as if the opposite occurred.

"In custody for breaking Aria's spine and causing millions of jewels of damage at the Heartfilia estate, somewhere he isn't legally allowed to be in the first place," Lahar told him, honestly growing tired of that question.

"Don't give doesn't crap," Gajeel growled as he glared at Lahar, flashing a controlled amount of magic power, making even Cana take a step back, a veteran mage like her shocked by how strong he really was.

But Lahar was shocked as well. Gajeel just confirmed himself as Erza's equal, that small flare enough to prove him as an A-Class mage but they just pushed Natsu's case forward.

"Juvia would like to point out, that Aria was technically a dark mage after he attacked Makarov!" Juvia yelled as she ran forward, before bending over, panting as she struggled not to fall to the ground, while the rest of Fairy Tail watched, conflicted.

Why did practical strangers care for about Natsu's fate than them, his own guildmates? And some, like Laki, Macao and Max were a tad disgusted with themselves. He leads them into a battle that their stronger mages had lost, and gave them the courage to fight. And he saved the rest of them, healing them instantly, risking a loss to ease their pain.

He offered them weapons, materials without a bat of the eye. And yet they couldn't even stand at his side when he was being charged with assault. Because they had never gone a bit too far? They were being hypocrites. But they remained silent.

"I will bring my findings to the council... They get the last call on whether Natsu will go to trial," Lahar announced as he gestured for the rune knight to gather, confusing all present.

"Don't you need to interview the rest of us?" Levy asked her voice soft with a blush on her face attracting Lahar and Gajeel's attention.

"Ah yes, Team Shadow gear, please come with me," Lahar said with a sigh as he walked toward the interrogation tent for hopefully the last time that day. Because every time he walked out he was left even more conflicted.

Never has he questioned his orders, always finding the logic behind them, but now? He wasn't so sure.

 **Mira's PoV**

They were now walking back to the guild in a comfortable silence, walking side by side, but it was different than earlier. Ultear lacked her aura of confidence, and while her chin was still up, her eyes were clouded, she was clearly confused about their earlier conversation, but Mira was just worried.

And when they were about a block away, her heart dropped.

"Ultear! What's going in! Where's Natsu!" Mira cried out as she scanned over the guild, surprised to ser even Gajeel and Juvia standing comfortably with Cana, Erza, Lucy and the rest of the guild, with Sherry drifting around the girls, but the atmosphere was tense and stressed.

"What-" Ultear asked as she looked towards the guild, before her face completely flipped, faster than if she put on a mask, and Mira felt the difference. Her chin was up, her eyes focused, her back straight and shoulders back. She felt authoritative, and confident, attracting everyone's eye as she walked towards the guild.

"Sergeant! Report!" Ultear ordered the second they ten feet away, her sharp tone catching everyone's ear and making the rune knights jolt where they stood.

"Saint Dragneel has been detained for assault and damages, and commander Lahar is finishing up on interviews!" The nearest rune knight replied with a salute, their back straight and eyes forward

"Oh? And on who's orders has the Commander done that?" Ultear bit out as she glared at the man, flaring a bit of her own Ice magic, making the sergeant literally piss himself as he shivered under her gaze.

The Fairies were shocked as well, she came off so graceful and elegant, they forgot she was one of the magical masters on the council.

"But fortunately for the sergeant, Commander Lahar was finished with Team Shadow Gear, walking out just as Ultear flared her magic, making him narrow his eyes.

"Councilwoman Ultear, I take it you are finished with your interview?" Lahar commented, his face blank but his tone had an underline that proved he knew what she was doing.

"Yes, only to come back and find you have arrested one of our most esteemed Wizard Saints, responsible for defeating the demon Deliora, from the book of Zeref?" Ultear asked rhetorically as she glared at the commander, getting the idea his hand was being forced.

"A reputation does not make someone exempt from their crime," Lahar commented as he walked towards Ultear, the tension between the two council officials making everyone nervous, and worried.

"And what crime has Saint Dragneel committed, worthy of being imprisoned?" Ultear asked as she stared at her subordinate, hoping that they will show their hand.

"Aggravated Assault, to the extent of permanent life-changing damage," Lahar commented making Ultear sigh as she stared at the councils best Commander, fairly disappointed.

"You are aware that between two mages in Fairy Tail, there's an eighty percent chance they could fix Aria's spine?" Ultear asked as she stared at Lahar, shocking all present, excluding those who were on Galuna Island.

"Impossible, it has never been recorded that a spine could be fixed, that's like regrowing a limb!" Lahar argued, but even he knew that argument was faulty at best. Gran Doma had shown him a clip from Galuna Island, as Natsu turned a block of ice, into a woman. Granted it was much more complicated than that, but the idea stands.

"Is it Commander? Release Saint Dragneel instantly, he is not to be treated as a criminal, as long as he goes willingly," Ultear commanded making Lahar sigh as he gestured to the two rune knights outside the other tent to release the Wizard Saint, who walked out confusedly, rubbing the back of his neck when he saw everyone, everyone staring at him.

"Aren't I under arrest, or did I read the situation wrong?" Natsu asked with an infectious grin as he approached the two council officials, making those close to his smile, while some of the others sighed, some of them even annoyed that he wasn't facing the consequences of his actions because he was strong.

"Natsu!" Mira cried as she ran forward, breaking the silence, and the dam as she glomped him in a hug, but luckily enough for him, he was strong enough to withstand her loving attack.

That was until the others approached, as even the stern Erza, and shy Sherry ran forward, glad that he was currently safe from the clutches of the council.

And that just left some of the other fairies further annoyed.

"Woah! What's up now? What's all the rush?" Natsu asked confusedly as seven girls ran at him, surrounding him as they all voiced their own questions, or excited rambles, making an honest go God smile grow on his face as he looked across all of them, especially when he saw the reclusive Sherry with a smile on her face.

That was until he saw Lucy, he could see the clear signs of tear tracks on her face, the very minuscule, almost nonexistent salt deposit from the dried tears very evident to his trained nose, and his smile turned into a look of worry.

"Hey, Luce, you okay?" Natsu asked as his eyes met hers, only to watch as a small smile grew on her face.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Lucy said with a smile of her own, watching as a gentle smirk formed on Natsu's face in response as he looked done at the woman in his arms.

"Hey you, have fun with Ultear?" Natsu asked with a raised brow, a secret question passed between them.

"Yeah, not too much though, this is a serious matter after all," Mira replied with an angelic smile on her face, and right now Natsu could die happy. He was finally surrounded by people who cared about him, the gender was irrelevant, he finally had what he always wanted.

Sure, he had Gildarts, Laxus and the thunder Legion, but the latter was out of respect. And the first two were gone so often it was a monthly thing.

"Saint Dragneel, seems like you have a bit of a fan club?" Ultear asked, a dangerous smirk on her face as she entered herself into the conversation, leaving Natsu very confused.

 **"Every damn time you earn my respect, your stupidity throws it out the door!"** END screamed from inside Natsu's head, not as much out of anger, but out of annoyance, especially since he was privy to Natsu's thoughts.

'What the hell do you mean?' Natsu asked internally as he turned to look at Ultear, having an idea as to why she wanted, even though the present company denies her the ability to ask.

Because it was a unanimous decision to keep Ur as far away from the council's claws as possible.

 **"I mean you're a complete idiot with less intelligence than a rock!"** END screamed making Natsu sigh, just glad that EBD would

"Councilwomen Milkovich, is there any specific time this Council meeting is to take place?" Natsu asked, already aware of the council proceedings with legal matters.

'Hey! What do you mean! I'm plenty smart!' Natsu fought back, literally fighting with himself, making END groan in annoyance.

 **"For a man, gifted with senses on par with an actual dragon, you are the blindest man I've ever seen!"** END groaned as his presence left once more leaving Natsu more confused than ever.

"You, actually, are not required to be present at the meeting. Commander Lahar will present all information gathered, and then proceed from there." Ultear explained leaving many of them very confused.

"I've never heard of a process like that," Erza commented confused as she rubbed her chin with her right hand as she stared at the council officials present before them.

"They wish to keep this incident as far out of the public as possible," Master Makarov announced as he slowly hobbled forward.

"Saint Dreyar is correct," Lahar replied as he watched the man hobble forward, a little curious as to what he would say.

But it seems he would have to wait.

 _"Can anyone hear me?"_ Warren asked, his magic seeking out a few minds, Makarov, Erza, Mira, Bisca and Alzack, making them stop, their eyes wide as they waited for Warren's announcement _._

 _"It's Loke, I can't find him, he's gone!"_ Warren announced frantically, worried for their guildmate making Mira gasp, attracting Both Gajeel's and Natsu's attention, and everyone else as well, their movements furthered by Makarov's voice.

"Brats! One of our own is missing! Let's bring them home!" Makarov announced as his form grew larger, as he leads the search through Magnolia, only to be confused when nobody was following.

"You brats! I sai-" Makarov yelled, his voice echoing through the now flat area where the proud Fairy Tail guild hall once stood.

"Master, who's missing?" Macao asked as the fairies rushed forward to find their lost friend... And partially because they were excited they didn't have to start construction yet.

"Loke," Makarov said with a sigh as his form shrunk, the few seconds he remained still reminding him of just how tired he really was, leaning heavily on his cane as he returned to his normal size, making Mira run forward to assist him

"Alright, Gajeel... Lets put your skills to the metal, pun intended." Natsu said with a smirk as he turned to Ultear, flashing a look of apology before he disappeared in a flash of fire, shooting into the sky and off to find Loke.

* * *

And onto the reviews!

Ridix/44- I refuse to give up on this story. I don't quit, with anything. And if I Did, it'd feel like I'm giving up on all of you. As of now, I'm going to write each chapter to 5k then start on the next one. And I'll continue to post on Saturdays.


	45. The Fallen Star

And onto the Story!

Gajeel quickly scanned the area, looking for someone to help him find Loke. It was even that he particularly even cared about the Fairy, it was simply that he refused to lose to Natsu.

And to do that he needed a guide, Natsu not only had the home advantage, but he should also have a good idea of the man's scent as well, leaving Gajeel at a steep disadvantage.

His eyes were involuntarily drawn towards Levy. His face softening as he took in her form, covered in a thigh cut orange dress, with white ribbon traversing across the back of her neck typing at the front in a small bow.

And for a slight moment, his eyes met hers, vicious red meeting tan brown. A blush exploded across Levy's cheeks, her pupils dilating as she returned Gajeels gaze for a mere second, before quickly turning away, her eyes glued on Makarov's form, but that did not mean the blush left her cheeks.

Gajeel growled softly under his breath as he looked for someone else to aid him until his eyes stopped upon a certain buxom blonde, and his mind was set just like his face, in a scowl.

"You! Bunny girl! Come with me," Gajeel growled out as he quickly turned away, beginning to walk towards Magnolia, leaving behind a very confused mix of Fairies and Knights, none of them quite sure why Gajeel called upon Lucy, and where the hell he got the nickname from.

Now Lucy wasn't scared of Gajeel. She had even faced the likes of Deliora the immortal demon in combat! And emerged victoriously! Granted, she practically did nothing other than run and brat up a dog man, but!

And Lucy's confidence withered in a second under Gajeel's glare, when he had turned around, annoyed she hadn't followed him, his right eye literally glowing red in anger. She was now literally shaking where she stood, not assisted by her broken shoe at all.

But nobody stepped in, knowing that somethings could be faced alone, especially since they were fairly confident he wouldn't harm her... Right?

But Lucy definitely didn't want to face him alone, as she ran forward, dragging poor little Yukino behind her as they chased after the dragonslayer, quickly disappearing from sight.

"Master! Should we go and help find Loke?" Macao asked as he stepped forward, breaking the curious silence as he stepped up.

"With two grown dragonslayers out there? That would be overkill. Get back to work," Makarov commanded with a tired sigh, hobbling towards his precious beer. The single thing he could always rely on, as it seemed not even law could be run with a sense of reason or order.

And thus drawing attention to Reedus' finally completed the design of the guild, making some of the rune knights even stop in awe.

It was a beautiful painting, looking as if it were pulled out of some dream or fantasy, appearing as if a castle from an actual Fairy Tail! It was perfect, it was magnificent, it was...

"Noo! My money! Makarov cried out as he ran forward as fast as possible, his intelligent mind already compiling a bill for the hall, excluding construction.

And that alone made Makarov want to step down.

"Saint Dreyar! Do remember Jose promised to pay for everything?" Ultear called out as she approached the old man, only to stop, surprised when he began hopping and dancing in joy.

"Knights! Pack up, our investigation is officially over!" Lahar announced as he lifted his files in the air, receiving a salute from all of his subordinates as they completed their own tasks, some packing up tents, while others ran to the city, gathering those with witness reports as they made their way to the train station.

 **Gray's PoV**

"Okay, let's head to my apartment, Happy, you know your job," Gray ordered as he lifted Kagura bridal style, trying to make it appear as if his girlfriend simply fell asleep on the train, and he was letting her sleep.

Kagura's face was nestled into his left shoulder, her hands clenching his shirt as he carried her off the train with Gloria at his side.

"Aye, sir!" Happy cried out with a salute as he shot off into the sky, having been paid in full with fish the second he woke up.

"You never told me why we were going to your apartment," Gloria asked curiously as they began the walk from earlier, but only about six hours later, the time being late afternoon as they completed the round trip.

"This was a big deal, wars between legal guilds just don't happen, and certainly not to this extent. There are bound to be some knights around here," Gray said with a casual nod, gesturing to the entire city as they continued to walk down the street.

Although it was odd when they passed by an elderly couple, being subject to their awe, finding Gray's effort to let Kagura sleep very adorable, and that made Gray, very uncomfortable.

Fortunately, Gloria had the mind to wave it off, praising Gray for being so kind, making the couple smile as they walked out of sight.

"We haven't seen any yet... Are you sure?" Gloria questioned when they were only about three blocks away. And if she was honest with herself? She was kind of impressed Gray had carried her all this way, with not even a drop of sweat forming on his brow, his breathing even, and skin a natural tone.

"Let's just say the Council take's every chance they get to shove their pompous noses in our business," Gray replied as he scanned the intersection before walking around the corner, not regretting his decision for even a second, because they committed a crime, and they had no excuse.

"Why?" Gloria asked confusedly as she followed him, making sure to look around for any knights like Gray mentioned. He looked at her, amazed for a second that she didn't know about the grudge, so to speak. And then he smiled, finding her lack of Magic world knowledge re-freshening.

"Master always preaches, that when you practice your magic, worried about damage or other relatively petty things, you will never reach your true potential. And so we don't. We do our best, even if that means a house gets a broken window or something," Gray said with a sideline glance to Gloria, hinting that it gets much, much worse.

"Is he right? Do restrictions really narrow your potential?" Gloria asked curiously as she looked up at him, her big green eyes boring into his with such curiosity he had to force his face to stay straight.

"Well, there's a reason Fairy Tail is officially the strongest guild in Fiore..." Gray said, this time letting the grin be free as he met her eyes, finding himself happier now than he ever was before Galuna Island, and before Natsu became something akin to a friend.

And honestly? He had no regrets.

"Hey, you! Stop There!" Someone yelled from behind them, making him curse in anger, as their eye contact broke instantly, worry shooting throughout their heads as they attempted to find a solution.

So... Okay, maybe one regret.

 **Lucy's PoV**

Both she and Yukino were walking about four paces behind Gajeel, practically holding onto each other as they followed Gajeel through the streets of Magnolia, the only good thing was that Gajeel cleared the sidewalk, everyone giving him a wide berth as they walked aimlessly through the city.

"W-Where are you going?" Yukino asked curiously, making Gajeel turn around, revealing that the glare had not left his face yet.

"Where does Loke live?!" Gajeel bit out, almost scaring some of the nearby people onto the streets.

"I don't know! We just joined the guild!" Lucy yelled back making Yukino look at her, scared for her friend's life, while a small smile appeared on Gajeel's face, utterly confusing the two celestial wizards.

'Why would he think I knew anything about Loki? Maybe we should go back and ask someone who-' Lucy thought, a little disgusted it was so easy to associate her with the smooth-talking player. Seriously! Just because she was blonde didn't mean she was a slut!

"You got spunk bunny girl," Gajeel said, his statement feeling as if it should have an ending. But it did not.

"Wait! I have an idea!" Lucy yelled, confusing both Gajeel and Yukino when she ran towards the town park, making both follow her, at their own paces.

"Open! Gate of the Southern Cross! Crux!" Lucy chanted once she ended up in the park, her hand holding his key up in the air, as the sound of a bell resonated through the trees.

Yukino arrived just in time to see a large white flash appear before Lucy, dissipating a second later, revealing a small man, with a huge silver cross with a gold inlay designs on each end as a face, levitating in the air.

He is clearly an aged spirit, shown by the wrinkles surrounding his mouth, and the white cross mustache. He wears what appears to be a medieval outfit, furthering the argument of his age, with a green shirt and pants, with tight orange sleeves, with a dark blue ribbon tied around his wrist and elbow.

"Lucy, what are you doing?" Yukino asked, curious as to why she summoned Crux now of all times especially since she was unaware of his capabilities.

"Gajeel reminded me of something, Grandpa Crux has knowledge of everyone in the spirit world and those in contact with them. I figured since Mira told Mr of Loki's fear of Celestial mages, we could start there," Lucy offered helpfully, surprising Yukino that she even remembered such a detail.

"I knew you were smart Bunny Girl," Gajeel growled out from seemingly nowhere, making both Celestial mages and Brux look around, trying to find where Gajeel was.

Until Lucy turned around, seeing Gajeel directly behind her his face directly in her, practically scaring her to death as she screamed.

"Gah! Why would you do that!" Lucy screamed as she jumped back, standing beside Yukino in their little portion of the park, watching as Gajeel walked towards Crux, making the non-combat spirit shiver in fear.

"Hey! Stop that!" Lucy yelled as she ran forward with Yukino at her side spreading her arms out beside her as she attempted to block Gajeel's path to Crux, even knowing she could do nothing to stop the dragonslayer.

Gajeel just stood there, staring at Lucy before turning around and walking away, confusing both girls and the Spirit.

"Miss Lucy, do you mind if I were to ask as to why I was summoned?" Crux spoke up from behind the two, making them turn around, smiles on her faces allowing him yo get a good look at Yukino, his eyes widening in shock, and his jaw-dropping in fear as he floated back, attracting both women's attention.

"Crux, are you okay? What's going on?" Lucy asked as she took a step forward, her eyes looking between Yukino and Crux, curious as to why he had such a scared reaction upon seeing her.

"Forgive me, miss Lucy. It seems that I made a mistake." Crux spoke, confusing Yukino even further, a glimmer of hope shining in the platinum blonde's eyes as she stared at Crux, memories of a long white haired girl, running around with her...

"Crux what mistake? Are you alright? Did you recognize Yukino? She's a Stellar Mage as well," Lucy asked worriedly, making sure to speak slowly and loudly to be heard clearly.

"I am unallowed to speak of it, The Spirit King demands it, forgive me, Miss Lucy," Crux replied as his wise black eyes locked with hers, making her nod with a sigh.

"No! I can't accept that! Do you know my sister! Is she alright! We-" Yukino ranted, the first real lead she has had in years, never have thought that there was a chance she had actually survived the raid. But she was cut off by Lucy's hand covering her mouth, stopping her emotional tirade short.

"Yukino, Crux is forbidden to speak too much, otherwise he can be banned from the Spirit World, never to return," Lucy whispered softly, unaware they were all still being watched by Gajeel, who was hiding in one of the nearby trees, crouching on a branch with a curious look on his face.

"And if you want, maybe I can help you find your sister? But right now, I need to ask Crux about Loke," Lucy explained quietly, waiting for the woman to nod in agreement before removing her hand and turning to the spirit.

Only to find he had gone to sleep, prompting a small smile to form on her lips, utterly confusing Yukino, and Gajeel.

"Lucy... I think he fell asleep. Remember? We're racing Natsu!" Yukino exclaimed, kind of excited to go head to head with the wizard saint on an intellectual level, because they would never be able to touch him strength wise... This morning proved that.

"No, that's just how Crux gathers information," Lucy said with a smile on her face, glad to be able to teach what she knew to other Stellar mages, especially since she had an idea Yukino had something she could teach her in return.

"Wow, that's actually pretty cool," Yukino replied as they looked at Crux in a calm silence, waiting for him to wake up and tell them what he found out. And it took about five minutes before Crux's head raised up to look at the two women.

"Ahh yes, Loke... He was once in contact with another stellar mage by the name of Karen Lilica, who unfortunately perished a few years back..." Crux explained vaguely making Lucy sigh, knowing that was all Crux had to say.

Something confirmed when he disappeared in a flash of light a second later, leaving two confused Stellar Mages behind.

 **Natsu's PoV**

"Alright, if I was a sleazy playboy... Where would I be," Natsu thought from atop the spire at the Cardia Cathedral, the now highest point in Magnolia with their guild destroyed, as he scanned the entire city, with no worry about how high up he was.

But he did take notice of the setting sun, pink mixing with orange and blue like on painters ease, so beautiful but natural.

Unt his eyes shot open in glee.

"The bar!" Natsu exclaimed, making some nuns look up in confusion as they watched him shoot away in a balk of fire, making them fall to their knees, believe it to be a sign of God.

Natsu reappeared seconds later, at the front door of a bar called "The Belfort," scaring some nearby pedestrians when a ball of fire shot towards the door.

"Sorry!" Natsu called out unapologetically as he opened the door, almost recoiling instantly from the strong stench of alcohol already present, even though it was dinner time.

Music was playing as people all around drank, sure it wasn't packed like it would be soon enough, but it was enough to make Natsu stop in pity for the human race before continuing towards the bar, his toned physique and training clothes catching the eye of quite a few women.

The Bartender looked up when he heard Natsu take a seat, his eyebrow-raising in a silent query as he looked at Natsu, asking what he wanted to drink.

"Actually I'm not here for a drink, I'm actually looking for a friend of mine, and I was" Natsu explained, his senses picking up on someone's slow approach but not realizing they were approaching him, instead of the bar.

"Well here I am handsome, now what are you going to do to me," a feminine voice whispered in his ears as unfamiliar arms wrapped around his neck, the woman's bust pressed seductively against his toned shoulder blades making the Saint shiver, but not out of lust, or attraction.

Natsu gently grabbed the obviously inebriated woman's hands, slowly unwrapping her arms from around his neck, watching as she stumbled towards the bar, giggling as she unceremoniously fell onto the bar, unconscious.

"No, uhm..." Natsu tried to restart, his mind delayed by that odd encounter, making them battens laugh.

"I'm assuming you're less than receptive reaction, that you weren't looking for her?" The bartender said with a chuckle as he splashed a cup of water on Natsu's face, awakening the dragon.

"Right! Have you seen Loke anytime recently? He's gone missing," Natsu asked, unaware of what pain he had just brought upon himself as seven different heads shot up at the name, all glaring at the man who dared speak of that sleazebag.

"Kid, I really hope that those muscles of yours aren't for show, you have no idea what you just brought yourself," The bartender said in a voice full of pity as he nodded his head behind the man, making Natsu turn around to see seven very pissed, but attractive woman stalk towards him frown upon their pretty faces as they approached him, making the wizard saint actually gulp in fear as he turned to the bartender for assistance only to curse under his breath when he realized the man had disappeared.

"Fuck..."

 **Makarov's PoV**

"Master Makarov, a word?" Ultear asked as she approached the old man sitting on a barrel of beer, as he watched his guild continue to stare at Reedus' painting of their guild with a small smile on his face, covered only by the mug of beer held in his hands.

"Councilor Milkovich, how may I help you?" Makarov asked as he looked up at the woman approaching, a curious quirk in his brow as he looked her in the eyes.

"Mirajane has informed me of my mother's condition... I believe I know someone who could help bring her back..." Ultear mentioned making Makarov nod his head, now understanding what she was speaking to him for.

"Very well, and I'm assuming that you're asking my permission before sending your expert," Makarov commented, not even as a question because he knew that was exactly what she is doing.

"Your age has done you well to make you wise, however, there is something else. Take those, it's so that Natsu can be contacted once the council has made its ruling over this incident," Ultear said formally as she held out a council mandated communication lacrima, linked directly to the council. Her tone was straight and face set, but her eyes showed the truth.

And Makarov agreed with her, to a certain extent. Even from when Natsu joined Fairy Tail, he had shocked Laxus on the first mission they went on together. He went straight for killing blows, aiming for the neck, head, and lungs.

And he would have killed if not for Laxus stopping him. That was one of the reasons Gildarts and Laxus had put so much training in with Natsu, until it was no longer a chore, having grown close enough to form a strong familial bond. And they never thought he would reach this far, this fast. But he had.

And once Makarov took the lacrima from her hand, she turned away, before heading towards the train station, following the rune knights from earlier, leaving Fairy Tail on its one, except for Juvia.

"Alright brats, head out! You're done for the day. Train, take a job, take a nap! But I expect to see you all here in four days for construction," Makarov announced, garnering cheers from everyone as they dispersed into groups until Mira, Makarov, Reedus, and Juve were the only ones left.

"May I help you dear?" Makarov asked as he looked at Juvia, making the nervous bluenette turn to him, as Reedus and Mira stopped working on plans to look at them.

"Juvia is confused... She thought Fairy Tail would be happy that Natsu-sama beat Phantom Lord, but it just seems that they are angry. Juvia doesn't understand," The bluenette said as she looked at the old man, missing Mira's wince at the touchy subject.

"Hmmm... I understand your confusion, but they are a bit jealous of him. Ever since Natsu joined he attracted a certain attention. People hated him or loved him. But he needed help, and some are jealous he was given that help, having to watch as someone their minor surpasses them to such godly lengths." Makarov commented as Reedus nodded his head, remembering how Makarov helped him when he joined, placing a spell that would allow his magic to work better.

"But... Shouldn't Fairy Tail be happy for Natsu-sama to achieve such strength? Juvia had heard from Natsu-sama how caring Fairy Tail was... He's my friend," Juvia replied as she looked at the ground, but more specifically the white doll pinned to her jacket, remembering when Natsu had shown her his.

Reedus was shocked that Natsu viewed them as that. While there were some more neutral, some like Gray had been, were vicious in attempting to drive him away. But he still saw them all as a family, even holding back as to not hurt them when they attacked.

And that just made him feel worse for not stepping up.

"Juvia... When Natsu fought you, how many spells did he use?" Makarov asked, surprising all present by how left field of a question that was.

"Juvia believes Natsu-sama only used four or five spells..." Juvia replied before her eyes shot open, realizing what Makarov was getting five spells, he practically defeated five S-Class mages.

"Do you think your old Master could have done that? Natsu has more potential than anyone I've ever seen, something I'm assuming comes from being the Fire Dragon Prince." Makarov announced honestly, making Juvia tilt her head as she thought, letting silence permeate the area as Mira and Reedus went back to drawing the schematics.

"Juvia is not sure, Master Jose rarely ever engaged in combat unless..." Juvia thought before her mind went back to when she had just joined the guild, watching as Jose beat Gajeel into the ground for breaking a rule... That was when they met, as she helped him back to health.

"Do you understand what I mean dear?" Makatov asked as he looked at the girl, unable to feel any malice towards someone who was so lost and lonely. She nodded in return, making Makarov smirk as he closed his eyes and take a sip of his beer.

"Juvia has one last question..." The bluenette said quietly, making Makarov open one eye in question.

"Why is everyone so kind to Juvia? Nobody but Gajeel talked to Juvia because of her rain..." The bluenette explained making Makarov just smile as he pointed up.

And somehow, this was the first time Juvia realized her shadow of a rain cloud never returned, having had grown so used to ignoring it in an attempt it would stop, she missed the sunlight.

Her face fell into awe as she realized that she actually had a chance to see a sunset, her eyes sparkling as she saw the sun in the sky, something everyone took for granted being so special to her.

"Bu-ut how? Juvia has always been surrounded in rain," Juvia asked as she continued to stare at the sky, hoping someone could answer her question.

"It seems someone finally said hello," Makarov said, making the bluenettes mind flash back to the day before.

 _"Hiya! My name's Natsu,"_

And she smiled.

 **Gajeel's PoV**

"so what's the deal Bunny Girl? Where is he?" Gajeel growled out from above the two stellar mages, as they walked past the tree he was perched in, making them scream in fright.

"Don't do that! What the hell is wrong with you always! You've been a jerk this whole time!" Yukino screamed as she stared up at the dragonslayer, pointing an accusatory finger as she glared at the man.

"Don't say that!" Lucy whispered as she ran towards Yukino, hoping to spare her from him.

"No! I'm done, you guys have done so much for me and I won't let him push you around," Yukino replied as she broke out of Lucy's hug and watched as Gajeel fell silently from the tree, his feet landing softly on the grass.

"You got backbone girly, but don't think I won't bite back," Gabriel growled as his red eyes met her brown, before he turned to Lucy, not even bothering to repeat his question from earlier.

"We don't know where he is, all Crux said was that he came in contact with a spirit mage, who is now dead," Lucy replied making Gajeel roll his eyes in anger, a little surprised Lucy was unable to put two and two together.

"Then we start there, who were they?" Gajeel asked as he turned on a heel going off in what appeared to be a random direction, confusing the two stellar mages before running to catch up.

"Karen Lilica, she was a famous Blue Pegasus mage, she died a few years ago," Lucy replied excitedly, catching onto what he meant.

"What do you two mean?" Yukino asked confusedly after they broke through the edge of the forest, right outside the public library.

"Loke may be at her grave! That's why Crux mentioned she was dead!" Lucy exclaimed as she shot off towards the library faster than both Yukino and Gajeel thought her possible, as they continued to walk behind her into the library.

 **Gray's PoV**

He turned around, careful not to jostle Kagura as he searched for the origin of the voice, hoping to Mavis it wasn't a rune knight.

Only to sigh when they saw a rune knight walking towards them with... A clipboard in their hands?

"I am to collect a statement from citizens of Magnolia, for the events that occurred a day ago." The Knight recited tiredly as they looked up from their clipboard to are what appeared to be three adults going home, Gray's emblem hidden by his others, and thus hiding his identity.

Gray filibuster was the naked Ice mage from Fairy Tail, this was just a man with dark hair carrying his girlfriend home.

"Actually," Gray replied as he looked Gloria in the eyes, begging for her to play along, We just got in town, and I'm carrying my girlfriend home, just got in from crocus and she fell asleep on the train," Gray explained as he attempted to look at the woman in his arms with a smile.

"Very well, my apologies, enjoy your night," the Rune knight replied as he turned around before walking away, making the two sigh as they hurried their pace, not wanting to have another close call.

"That... Was actually quick thinking, how'd you come up with that?" Gloria asked as they continued down the street.

"Something I learned from Mira actually... Body language is everything, I just never understood it until now," Gray said with a smile and a shrug making Gloria laugh.

"Smart... Speaking of Girlfriends... Do you" Gloria began, a blush growing on her face as she looked everywhere but at Gray, missing the small tint to his cheeks as he realized her question and cut her off.

"No! No, I do not, haven't found the right girl yet," Gray replied with a shrug as he stared straight ahead, confused as to why he was sharing so much.

"Really? Don't you mages travel all around on missions? How haven't you found anyone," Gloria asked curiously, a small push remaining on her face as she looked at him.

"Never got to know anyone well enough I guess," Gray replied as they turned at the crosswalk, now only a few dozen meters away from his apartment.

"You never saw anyone you liked though?" Gloria asked confusedly, her life in an orphanage and on the streets making her learn the hard way that guys love with their eyes... And couldn't care less about the girl themselves.

"Pfft, you've seen some of the girls from my guild, and I learned the hard way beauty isn't just skin deep," Gray replied, remembering the times Erza or Mira... And worse... Laki had tortured a man for hitting on them. That was enough to teach young Gray that there were more to women than their beauty.

"Rrright... You can be honest, I won't judge you," Gloria replied, not trusting Gray, especially since she's seen, and experienced a few guys play a card like that.

And then they arrived at his door.

And then Gray noticed a minor problem. His keys were in his pockets, but his arms were full...

"Hey, are you okay?" Gloria asked as she looked at Gray weirdly, not understanding why he had suddenly gone silent.

"Can... Can you get my keys from my fight pocket?" Gray asked a small blush on his face as he stared at the door, making Gloria roll her eyes as she took a step back, his empty porch giving them plenty of room.

"Yeah, like I haven't heard that before..." Gloria said as she narrowed her eyes, a few bad experiences with men making her think he was being a pervert, and completely missing the big problem.

"What.. Oh! Shit, uh, the doors locked and there's nothing to put Kagura on!" Gray rambled out, making Gloria's mouth open in an "o", both their faces glowing red, practically illuminating the dark porch.

"Sorry, uh, your right pocket?" Gloria asked awkwardly as she inched forward, not believing what she was about to do as Gray raised Kagura's body, giving her easier access.

And Gray simply nodded, too embarrassed to even give a verbal response. And that, in itself was weird. His striking habit allowing dozens of people to see him naked, but this, made him feel awkward. So much so that he lost his calm composure.

"Okay... Here I go, I'm putting my hand in you're pocket," Gloria narrated as she slowly slipped her dainty hand inside his pocket, blushing when she left his toned thighs as she sought out his keys.

Until he groaned, making her look at him weirdly.

"That isn't my keys," Gray muttered as he stared at his door, unable to look her in the face right now as she practically tore her hand out of his pocket.

"I'm sorry!" Gloria yelled as she took a step back, before hiding her face in the corner of his porch behind the plain white post as she attempted to keep her mind clean from impure thoughts.

'Oh my God! I just touched a guy's dick! It seemed pretty big, is that big? I don't know! Gah!' Gloria internally screamed before her panic attack was cut off by the sound of something being smashed to pieces.

She quickly shot around, only to watch in shock as Gray entered his home, having had kicked down his own door just to avoid that situation again..and for some reason that made her feel sad.

But she followed him into the living room anyways, looking at the splintered door under her in guilt as she walked towards where she remembered his living room to be, entering just in time to watch him carefully lay Kagura down lengthwise on her couch before turning around, and their eye met.

"Gloria! Right, you're here. I'm going to go report to Master, you stay here, we want to attract as little attention as possible," Gray ordered before practically running out of his one home, leaving an upset, and embarrassed woman in his living room, as a small breeze swept in from the doorway.

 **Natsu's PoV**

"I... Regret... Everything..." Natsu grumbled as he limped out of the bar, his skin marred in bruises of varying intensity and his clothes rumpled as he began to walk down the sidewalk, thinking he might lose this small co-petition of theirs.

"No way am I trying that again, and I have no idea where he lives. I forget what he smells like and I have no idea where to look," Natsu listed off as he began to walk aimlessly through the city, depressed.

Until a certain smell caught his nose, one he recognized very well after Galuna Island. Lucy's...

"Maybe she knows!" Natsu thought hopefully as he shot off in a flash of fire, shooting through the darkening sky as he went towards Lucy's approximate location, completely unaware that she had already been drafted by Gajeel in the competition.

Until he recognized the other scents around hers. Gajeel's, and Yukino's.

And so Natsu returned to the ground, unaware a certain brunette had seen him as they exited a store, watching as the injured pink haired man walked down the street grumbling.

"Natsu! Natsu! Hold up," Cana called out as she ran towards him, making the pinkette turn around confused, his eyes lighting up when he saw her.

"Cana! Yes! This is perfect! I need you to help me, right now!" Natsu exclaimed excitedly as he grabbed her hand before pulling her towards an alley, not giving her any explanation, forcing her mind to take a perverted turn.

"He needs me? What does he need me for? But he needs me! Hey, isn't there an alley there! Oh, I'm so ready for this!" Was Cana's train of thought, as she assumed the pinkette was dragging her into a secluded alley to have his way with her, fantasizing about him pressing her up against the brick and

"Cana! I need you to help me find Loke!" Natsu exclaimed as he gently squeezed her hand, making her mind go blank before her face went a color deeper than Erza's hair.

"Oh," Cana mumbled as she pulled her hand out of his, making him watch worriedly as she began to pace, mumbling to herself, something Natsu did his best to ignore because he could only assume it was something she didn't want him to hear.

"Cana! Are you alright?!" Natsu asked loudly, his if gets pressed in his era as he looked at her worriedly, prompting her to turn to him confused, before she realized just how absurd he looked, standing there with bruises on his face and his-

Bruises?!

"Natsu, what the hell happened to you," Cana asked softly as she walked towards him, placing her hand on his right cheek as she looked at his left, watching as the bruise slowly healed, no doubt because of his dragonslayer magic.

But more importantly, Cana was worried about _who_ was capable of marking Natsu like that.

"I was at a bar looking for Loke, and-" Natsu began to explain, only to cut off when Cana began to laugh, gleeful peals of laughter erupting from her mouth as she smiled at the Wizard Saint.

"So the man who defeated Phantom Lord got best up by Loke's ex's?" Cana asked, mirth dancing in her eyes as she stared at Natsu.

But for some reason, he felt no annoyance as he stared at her smile, even though he knew she was teasing him.

He was just happy she here, smiling with him.

"Oh yeah, they are crazy scary, and that's why I need your help," Natsu said as he looked at Cana, making the woman nod her head, a smile still on her face as she took Natsu's hand and dragged him out of the alley, making a few people look at him in jealousy.

His face was just a little swollen and his clothes were rumpled. What else were they to assume?

"Alright, let's head back to my apartment, I was planning on doing a locate spell on him anyways, but now we have a time crunch," Cana said with a smirk as she looked to her left, her eyes catching his.

And her chest felt warm, as it felt like time slowed, the setting sun making it appear as if his hair was on fire, his face now almost entirely healed due to his dragon-slaying magic.

And she only wondered if he saw the same thing, looking at her as if she was the only one... Even though she knows she isn't.

 **Gajeel's PoV**

"You have ten minutes," Gajeel announced the second they walked through the door, making the two woman laugh as they headed towards the computing lacrimas, confident they would be able to find her burial site in two minutes flat.

That was until she tried to access them, and the screen flashed blue

'Currently inoperable due to system maintenance, we are sorry for any inconvenience.'

It said.

"Fuck!" Lucy said under her breath, her eyes turning to Yukino, finding the tan woman looking quite pale as she stood there, unwilling to look back at him.

And Gajeel just glared at the two women, prompting them to start running, splitting to cover more ground, hoping to find the magazine section, because Katen's funeral was covered by sorcerer's own Jason, and finding that issue would be the fastest and safest way to determine the location of her grave.

"No running in the-" The librarian exclaimed, ejecting from his seat, only to cower under Gajeel's glare, the slayers glowing red eyes making the librarian fall back to his seat in fear.

But Gajeel remained in place, not needing, nor wanting to follow two fear-ridden stellar makes around a library of all places.

 **Lucy's PoV**

"Magazine's, magazines! Where on earthland are the magazines!"Lucy grumbled as she ran through the library shelves, but all her eyes could see was hundreds, and hundreds of hardcover books going as high as the eye could see, which was impressive since this is near the Fairy Tail guildhall.

But it appeared that luck was not on her side because if she had simply bothered to look at the mat by the front door, which had a very clear, and concise map of the entire library laid out.

And if she had seen it? She'd know for sure she was going in the wrong way, the closest thing to a magazine she would find is a children's book.

"Magazine, magazine!" Lucy chanted under her breath as she ran through yet another aisle, until she stopped, slowly walking backward because of a book that caught her eye, its cover and spine, shiny as gold. But that was not what truly caught her eye.

It was the name on the spine, in the place of the author.

Kemu Zaelon.

And the title of the book?

Daybreak.

 **Yukino's PoV**

"If I was a magazine... Where would I be..." The stellar mage thought aloud as stood partway between shelves, in front of a long wooden bench that split the aisles.

"Fiction... More fiction... Even more fiction... Fanfiction..?" Yukino muttered aloud, while reading Aisle contents, confused that Fanfiction was even published, given that it was such a publically crass genre.

But she did not have time to consider humanities do distaste in such a wonderful genre and continued on.

"More fanfiction... Literotica..?" Yukino muttered, her entire body freezing up and her face turning scarlet red as her hands begin to twitch, steam rising from her small head as she imagines its glorious, but dangerous contents.

But she powered through and trudged on, continuing to walk forward so that she could read the next aisle signs, doing her best not to panic even though her hands were _very_ visibly shaking, scared of Gajeel even though he probably wouldn't hurt them... But you could never know.

And by Mavis was she surprised about how many aisles were full of this _smut_. Almost ten complete rows, full to the ceiling were entirely stock full... And the ceilings were at least ten feet high...

And after about two minutes of walking, and seventeen full aisles she was finally out of them, looking like a fully ripened strawberry...

And then her eyes caught the next sign.

 _'Magazines'_

"Yes!" Yukino cried out as she ran forward until she found the Sorcerer's Magazine section. twelve full shelves, with every edition ever published...

Her shoulders fell, her eyes drooped as she sighed in disappointment before approaching the first shelf, hoping they followed some form of organization or pattern, that would her she find the magazine in the... Four minutes she had left?! How on earthland are there so many books!

 **Natsu's PoV**

"Alright, have a seat, I'll go grab my tarot cards," Cana said aloud the second she opened her door, the smell of air fresheners hitting Natsu like a bus as he stumbled back in minute confusion.

"Oh, sorry about those... Just trying to freshen the place up," Cana said with a slight blush, having had turned back to see what sent a wizard saint backpedaling.

"I... See that," Natsu said, as he attempted to keep his face blank. Her apartment was surprisingly clean. No pictures, no trinkets, nothing. Just blank, sky blue walls, and wood framed cloth furniture decorating her very blank apartment.

But it was also very clear why.

No longer was their alcohol scattered across her apartment, and it didn't matter how many air fresheners she used, the smell of alcohol would remain for a while.

And so Natsu was stuck in his head as he sat on her red oak, with black cushion couch, a less modern, but more suburban rustic vibe permeating in her apartment as he thought, he really thought about Cana.

'Every time I've ever seen Cana, she's always had a drink in her hand or was grabbing another... So what changed?" Natsu thought confused, utterly oblivious to the large impact such a small act of his had on her life...

"Alright! Let's find that manslut," Cana announced as she re-entered her living room, a smile on her face as she sat in a recliner across the table from Natsu, unaware she had disturbed his train of thought.

"What happened to your shirt?" Natsu asked confused with a blush crawling up his neck as he finally noticed that the Lush had, in fact, unbuttoned her shirt the second she entered her apartment, displaying her tanned olive skin and her lovely knockers barely held within her blue bra.

"Hey, I might be trying to be more... Proper, but in my own apartment I can do whatever the hell I want," Cana said with a very suggestive wink, her long dark eyelashes becoming more apparent than ever as Natsu focused on the wall behind her, his body stiffer than steel.

Thr lush noticed his obvious discomfort and sighed as she spread the cards out on her coffee table, as she began her reading.

Her magic began to shimmer around her as she shuffled and picked out what seemed to be random cards, the majority never moving as she laid out six cards in a straight line, before straightening the rest of the deck once she finished.

She brought her head up after that seven-minute process, curious to see Natsu's take on the cards are chosen only to find the man staring at her in awe.

And for good reason.

Her magic, the pure white light flickered and shimmered around her body, her eyes closed as to not subconsciously influence the reading.

And the act itself was beautiful, making her look like some deity or God, actually taking Natsu's breath away...

She blushed as she looked down at her cards, her confidence cracking under his admiring gaze as she took in the cards she drew for the first time.

The first card was of a tomb, on a dark gloomy knight. Lightning was crackling in the distance with a raven sitting in the dead, dried out tree above.

Death.

The second card was of a bright white star, brighter than any other in the deep blue night sky. But it was not where it should have been, set on a course away, something that could easily be interpreted from land or sea.

A falling star.

The third card was of a majestic lion, standing protectively over his injured mate, a crossbow bolt stuck in her left should, as blood pooled around her, as she laid there in agony, and the worst part was that they were in an enclosure.

Betrayal.

The fourth card was more simplistic and told less of a story. It was a set of shackles, chaining someone's hand to the earth as they reached for the sky with their other.

Imprisoned.

The fifth card was a fox, standing proudly over a dead owl, a mouse in its maw with a triumphant paw on the wise bird. It was a more interpretive picture, but it's meaning was clear

Defeat.

The sixth card was initially the most confusing. It was a horse, with blue wings, its eyes wide in fear as it flew towards a mountain, its wings spread, but a hole could be seen in the right. The pegasi had no control as it attempts to reconcile their fate.

The death of a blue pegasus.

Cana stared at the cards, confused by not only their order but the meaning. These were results you would expect from someone's future, not their location.

She stared at her hands in sadness, fearing she messed up, breaking the Tarot code.

But then she was broken from her sadness by the sounds of cards being moved around.

"Don't! The order has its own meaning!" Cana exclaimed, but it was too late.

Natsu had shifted Betrayal to the first, death of a pegasi second. The falling star was now third, with imprisonment fourth. The defeat was fifth, and now death was last.

She looked at Natsu, partially worried, and confused as to why he put them in such an order, especially when such an ancient magic like tarot was involved.

Because none of these were part of the original deck. But some of the messages were the same, and that scared Cana to the core.

"What... Why," Cana muttered as she examined the new order, until her eyes widened, as she looked at Natsu, confused by his serious expression.

"There was a blue pegasus mage that died a few years back... She was a celestial mage, which is also referred to as a stellar mage," Natsu mentioned quietly as he looked up at Cana for the first time since she began the reading.

"Blue pegasus was outraged by the loss of one of their strongest mages, and demanded the council take action..." Natsu said as he continued to stare at the cards, his hand now beginning to shake as he stared at the cards.

"I was still so arrogant back then, so cocky... But the council gave me the mission anyway. It was my first council granted mission due to my rank. I thought it would be easy, a dragon slayer following the scent of blood..." Natsu explained as he looked Cana in the eyes, a singular tear rolling down his left cheek as he maintained eye contact with the lush, who felt real fear in her heart to see a man she cared so much for, broken like this.

"I almost died on that mission too, because during my Investigation I ran into the Oracion Seis. They killed her," Natsu explained as he clenched his shaking hand, shooting out of his seat as he grabbed Cana's hand, both of them disappearing in a flash of fire, before they shot towards the window, smashing through into the open air.

But what they never saw, was that the change in heat plus the window breaking created a draft, that blew the top card off the pile of Tarot cards.

Said card drifted perfectly in line with the others, landing face up beside death.

The seventh card depicted a man, but two different entities were clawing their way out. One was black, the other was white, fighting for dominance over the man, like a man fighting his demons.

 **Cana's PoV**

'Natsu, where are we going?' Cana asked from inside the flame, worried as they shot through the sky faster than a bullet train.

'I know where Loki is, and I have a scary feeling I know why he's there...' Natsu replied as they exited Magnolia, heading North West, making Cana realize what was going on.

Loki was most likely at the fallen pegasi's grave...

But she still had one question, how did Loki connect to all of this? And was this the reason why Loki was afraid of stellar mages?

* * *

And onto the Reviews

Guest- I hope you enjoy this! I've been working 60 hours a week, and Im not breaking up with my girlfriend for this, so, Ill just do the best I can.


	46. A New Purpose in Life

And onto the Story!

 **Gajeel's PoV**

"I did it! Lucy! I found it!" Yukino cried out as she ran towards the entrance, with a dated, crimpled magazine in her hands.

But the librarian stayed silent, hiding behind his desk as stared at Gajeel, his hands clenched upon his desktop as he peeked over the edge.

"Really! Thank Mavis!" Lucy cried out from the other side of the library, her voice muffled by the hundreds of books between them.

She stopped running, midstep when Gajeel turned his glare on her, his eyes focusing on the magazine in her hand, as her foot slowly lowered to the ground, not trusting her balance.

"Where is it?" Gajeel asked, knowing that even if both he and Natsu got the location at the same time, he would still be hours behind.

"Its a few kilometers away from the Blue Pegasus Guildhall, on the cliff overlooking the city," Yukino replied as she stared at the magazine in her hands before turning to approach the librarian, about to ask if they could sign out the magazine.

"Yes! Please, take whatever you want, just please make him leave!" The librarian exclaimed, glad they didn't ask him to locate it for him, as he was too scared to even leave his seat.

"Okay, okay, let's go..." Lucy panted as she came into view, running as fast as she could, but it was quite obvious she wasn't used to this much cardio, or stress.

And then they noticed she had a makeshift bag on her back, fashioned out of what appeared to be a pillowcase, with a strap running across her right shoulder, diagonally to her left hip.

It was also quite clear that it was holding a very heavy book, the way the bag sagged below her waistline and reaching the end. And it was obvious she didn't I tend to take the book out, but the librarian could honestly care less, he just wanted them gone.

And the two mages didn't care right now either, even though Yukino was considering asking her about it later.

"Train station, ten minutes," Gajeel ordered as he spun on his heel and walking out the door, his shoulders set and his back straight.

Lucy, Yukino and the librarian stood around for another minute after he left, knowing that he would have been able to not only hear them but get them back for it later on.

 **Yukino's PoV**

"Where does he get off!" Yukino grumbled as she and Lucy entered the train station, money in hand as they approached a booth, before stopping in shock at just how short the lines were.

... Until they saw Gajeel standing in the corner of the room, glaring at the people in the building, his eyes glowing red through his long black greasy bangs, the constant chatter and talking bring too much for the dragon.

But both stellar mages stilled as well, watching as Gajeel pushed himself off the wall, his leather boots clicking upon each step of the linoleum flooring as he approached the two women who had yet to cower.

"Let's go," Gajeel said the second he walked past the two women, making them roll their eyes as they followed after him, having been under his moody influence long enough to withstand his glare.

As Lucy walked past the ticket booth, she looked at the ticket man with pity, the man clearly worried he would lose his job for allowing people passage without payment.

"Here," Lucy whispered as she handed the bellhop a was of jewels from her reward for Lullaby, having had no time to receive their Deliora reward with the whole Phantom incident.

The teen accepted the money with a shaky nod, his eyes shining his appreciation since his voice seemed to have left him.

And then she entered the train, following the lack of sound, now honestly confused as to why people were so openly scared of the dragonslayer.

Sure he was brutal, deadly, large with piercings and glowing eye... But was that really enough to make someone stop in fear?

 **Loki's PoV**

"So this is it, this is how the great leader of the Zodiac Dies... Alone, sad, and a failure," Loki said in a self-deprecating tone as he stared at his hands, as they faded and flashed in and out of existence, his magic having had output.

"And at the end of the day, it didn't matter what I did. Karen died, and the person who killed her probably has her keys right now...and I'll never be able to forgive myself." Loki said as he clenched his eyes shut, the emotional pain he had been carrying the past three years, knowing he was the reason someone died...

He tried to hide his pain, and get over not only her death but the separation from some of the people he cared about most.

Because he had broken the Celestial Spirit contract and was banned from the spirit realm forever.

"I never thought I would come here again..." Natsu muttered just loud enough to catch Loki's attention as he leads Cana onto the mountain ledge where Karen's solitary gravestone rested, along with her body.

"Natsu? Cana? What are you-" Loki asked as he shot up in a panic hiding his hands behind his back, just hoping that Natsu heard _nothing._

"The only thing I don't understand is how you knew Karen..." Natsu said aloud as he walked towards the tombstone, a solitary tear rolling down his cheek as he kneeled by her headstone, the guilt of never catching her murderer finally showing itself as he placed his hand on her tombstone, rubbing the familiar stone, remembering when he showed up at Blue Pegasus after three months of searching, this gravestone in his hand as he told Master Bob that he, a dragonslayer, failed to find someone.

But Loki stayed silent, unwilling, and unwanting to answer Natsu as they both stared at the stone.

And that's when Cana noticed his hands or the split second lack thereof.

"Loki! Your hands! What the hell is going on?" Cana asked confused and scared that one of their members could be dead before her eyes.

"My time's up... It's finally time for me to pay for my sins. For me to disappear, forever." Loki said as he kneeled before her stone, pain clear on his face as his entire body began to shimmer and fade, making Natsu's eyes shoot open in shock, before suddenly closing as he began to concentrate.

"What the hell," Natsu muttered as he watched Loki fade and return, his body flickering in the now dark sky, a constellation in the sky seeming to flicker with his body, not that either of them had the mind to realize that.

"Finally I can be at peace," Loki muttered as he opened his eyes, turning to look at the sky, only wishing he could see them one last time before he died. To say goodbye, and to say sorry...

Natsu turned to Cana. hoping she had some type of insight towards their current predicament.

"How did you find me here?" Loki asked, continuing to stare at the sky, unable to kill that small burning flame of hope inside his chest as he stared at the sky, hoping that maybe he could be forgiven.

"I used my card magic to do a locate spell with tarot," Cana commented as she walked forward, stopping behind the kneeling Natsu and putting her hand on his shoulder as she stood in support.

"And that brought you here? I thought you said they weren't always concise." Loki commented curiously as he looked at the two for the first time in a few minutes, shocked to see a tear track on Natsu's cheek.

"I couldn't make sense of it. Natsu here rearranged the cards and brought us here," Cana commented as she looked at the pinkette at her feet, still sort of unsure as to how he did it.

"Karen Lilica has killed in action three years ago, her keys stolen and her body left in the forest east of Blue Pegasus," Natsu spoke making Loki's eyes shoot open in shock as they stared at the pinkette confused as to how he knew this.

"But the one thing the council could never figure out was why Karen was doing C-Class missions. She was the strongest Stellar Mage at the time. One of Blue Pegasus' strongest S-Class mages..." Natsu muttered, remembering the case file...

"It was all my fault," Loki muttered making both Fairies look at him in shock, and confusion, not being able to understand how he could be responsible for such a thing, it didn't make sense.

 **Yukino's** **Pov**

Both stellar mages looked at Gajeel, utterly confused as to why he was sitting so still, his back stiff and straight and his hands in his lap. His legs were straight and he looked like a bloody statue.

"Is he okay?" Yukino whispered to Lucy from their spot across from the iron dragon slayer.

"I... Honestly, don't know, do you think he's sick?" Lucy whispered back as she turned to look out the window, surprised to see the night sky making itself known once more, as the sunset in the east.

"I can still hear ya," Gajeel grumbled from his spot against the cart wall, his right eye cracking open as he looked at the two stellar mages.

But he wasn't glaring. This is progress.

"Then you can answer us then," Yukino declared as her gaze on Gajeel hardened.

"Why are you such a dick all the time? I get that Phantom Lord may not have-" Yukino ranted, unaware she had just touched a very open wound and enraging the dragon.

"You know _nothing_ about Phantom Lord!" Gajeel growled, moving for the first time since he got on the train, attempting to rise from his seat, only to fall back down, a stony look on his face.

And then the train cart went silent, with Yukino looking at her hands and a blush on her face, her bravado as fleeting as the wind.

Because Gajeel was right. She knew nothing about Phantom Lord, or any guild really.

But she couldn't stand the silence.

"So what's in the bag?" Yukino asked curiously as she turned to Lucy not even two minutes after Gajeel snapped at her, surprising both of them at how tenacious she was.

"Oh, this?" Lucy asked innocently as she lifted the terribly made, makeshift bag from her shoulders, allowing the woman to catch a flash of gold, the light of the train cart reflecting on something inside making her jaw drop.

"Whoa! Is that gold?" Yukino shouted, making the silent dragon open his eyelid once more, curious as to where the blonde found gold in a fricking library.

"No, even better!" Lucy announced as she pulled out a golden... Book.

The iron dragon rolled his eye, favoring to keep his eyes closed, lest the rapid changes in light intensity make his nausea any worse.

"A book isn't better than gold. Gold is pretty and shiny," Yukino muttered under her breath with a sigh as Lucy held the book up, the cover clear as day.

And even Gajeel couldn't stop the smirk the passed across his face at Yukinos comment. Because he agreed, gold was so tasty.

"No! Don't you see?! This book was apparently written by Kemu Zaelon. He was a famous mage turned author. And I've read all of his books, but this one. I've never seen nor heard of it!" Lucy yelled excitedly as she continued to hold the large book in front of her face as if she expected a dragon slayer and a runaway to understand.

And she was sorely disappointed.

"Oh come on! Don't you understand? This book was never published, never documented, but here it is!" Lucy tried again, only to watch as both Yukino and Gajeel shook their heads in distaste, favoring the silence.

"You guys are so boring," Lucy muttered ironically as she opened the book and began to read in the silence of the train cart while Yukino turned to the iron dragon, mouthing nerd, as she secretly pointed at Lucy.

And Gajeel laughed.

 **Loki's PoV**

"It was my fault she died... And this? My death is simply karma..." Loki lamented as he turned to look at the constellations in the night sky within longing.

"I don't get it, it's not your fault she got attacked," Natsu commented helpfully, trying to cheer Loki up.

"And it's not your fault she died either! The Oracion Seis killed her! And even Natsu couldn't beat them!" Cana encouraged with a smile on her face, winking at Natsu when he turned to her with a dirty look.

"But it is my fault she was taking C-Class missions," Loki said as he turned to look at them, pure, unadulterated pain and guilt dancing in his eyes, as his body flashed once more, reminding them of the real situation they were in.

"Maybe she was tired, or felt sick?" Natsu offered, only to pout when Cana rolled her eyes.

"I refused to let Karen abuse us, and use us any longer. So I took a stand, as is my duty as the strongest," Loki mentioned, confusing both Fairies once more as to what the hell he was talking about.

Until something clicked for Cana. Every logical reason or explanation was thrown out the door, leaving only the craziest explanation left.

"Loki, how did you know Karen?" Cana asked, her tone rough as she stared at the man, the pieces now falling into place. A falling star, and a man torn between two worlds.

"I had hoped you wouldn't have figured it out... But you were always so smart," Loki said, his playboy attitude flaring for a second as he looked her in the eyes, even as his body fluctuated once more.

"What? Cana, what's going on, I don't get it," Natsu asked almost childishly, making the brunette ruffle his hair playfully as she held her gaze, wanting Loki to spill the beans himself.

"Because my name isn't Loki. I'm Leo the Lion, the strongest of the twelve Zodiac... And Karen's murder," Loki announced dramatically as he sprung to his feet, his back against the sky and his arms held high as he looked at Natsu, making Cana sweatdrop.

"But... How? At most any spirit has enough magic to last a month in Earthland, and that's when they siphon from their casters... You can't be saying you survived three years as an active mage?" Natsu asked shocked, shooting to his feet and confusing both Loki and Cana as to how he knew so much about Celestial Spirit Magic.

"How did you know that?" Loki asked shocked as he stared at the pinkette, making the man chuckle.

"I'm not surprised, if you are Leo, you wouldn't be kept up to date with new contracts," Natsu said emotionless as his left hand was enveloped in a flash of light, revealing four keys in his hand.

There were two gold keys and two silver keys.

The first gold key had a black serpent coiling around the neck, and Leo couldn't even recognize it.

The second key was much more familiar. It was an elegant golden key, with two parallel blue lines, perpendicular to the neck. Aquarius.

The third key was silver, the teeth were simply metal bars, and the face was of fire, behind black bars.

The fourth and final key was also silver, the bow of the key was outlined in small brown jagged rocks, spanning from shoulder to shoulder. And in the center was a simple depiction of a brown mountain.

"What..." Loki asked, his mouth agape and shoulders dropped as he stared at the wizard saint.

Cana was in the same boat.

"You're a stellar mage?!" Cana shrieked as she looked at the keys in his hand, having had never known he had more than just his fire and requip magic.

"Mhm, It was after Karen died. I had failed to find her keys, and so I started searching, looking for any quest with a mention of a key, following rumors and everything as I traveled on missions... It was my way of paying homage to her, ya know? I felt like I failed her..." Natsu commented, his voice growing quieter as he stared at the keys in his hand, making Cana's heart clench.

But Loki was too focused on his hand to absorb what Natsu said.

"That key, the one of the serpent! I've never seen it before!" Lokie cried out enraged as he ran forward, only to fall to the ground in pain, his hand clutching his chest as his magic went dangerously low.

But now they knew what was wrong. And Natsu had an idea that could at least give them more time.

"Fire Dragon's King's Secret Art, Flame of life!" Natsu chanted under his breath as his hand was covered in an inviting, soothing green flame, making Cana smirk while Loki looked on in shock... Only to surprise everyone by jumping back, teetering dangerously close to the edge.

"No! I've gone far too long with this guilt on my mind, distracting myself with other women only made it worse, Almost as if I had been left cursed..." Loki cried out making Natsu sigh as the flames in his hand went out, making all present realize just how dark it was.

"Okay, but if you think we're just going to let you die... Then you have another thing coming." Cana commented as she walked to Natsu's side, creating a united from as they attempted to help their guildmate.

"So what happened? Why did you have to protect other spirits?" Natsu asked as he looked at the four keys in his hand, not being able to understand how anyone could treat them like a tool.

"Karen didn't care for her spirits, only the fame. We were tools to be used to any extent. But one night she went too far..." Loki said, remembering the time Karen has summoned Aries to entertain some men, in exchange for information on a job she was working.

"And so I stepped in, and entered the mortal plane of my own magic, refusing to return. And she lost her strongest combat spirit and worked easier quests. But she slowly grew desperate, her magic depleting too fast in an I refused to return until she released than one day, she never came back." Loki explained with a sigh as his body flickered once more, but this time for longer.

And Cana finally realized that one of the constellations, the lion, finally went out.

And Loki fell down to the ground, screaming.

 **Lucy's PoV**

"this doesn't make sense," Lucy muttered, attracting Gajeel's attention as he cracked an eye open, while Yukino continued to slumber away in the silence.

"The writing style, the vocabulary is exact to his... But this book... It's Terrible!" Lucy yelled out in disappointment, startling Yukino who jumped from her seat, her keys in her hand as she scanned the area, only to realize she was on the train.

"I was having a nice -" Yukino complained, only to be cut off by the trains voice comm.

"We will be pulling into the station in about five minutes! Would everyone please return to your cabins and wait for us to dock," A female voice announced making Yukino shrug as she fell back into her sleep, a lot less annoyed since they were here... Finally.

"I can't believe this..." Lucy muttered as she threw the book done in disappointment, a pout on her face as she crossed her arms under her very ample chest.

"Oh come on Lucy! Lighten up! We might beat Natsu!" Yukino cried out excitedly, annoyed that the man was unbearably strong and willing to accept any win.

And Lucy's eye just sparkled.

But Gajeel sighed, his nose not lying. Either Natsu was present, or there was a fire.

And he would honestly prefer a house fire.

 **Natsu's PoV**

"Fire Body!" Natsu shouted as he disappeared, barely catching Loki by the skin of his neck before he fell off the cliff.

"Fire Dragon's King's Secret Art! Flame of life!" Natsu shouted as Loki's body was engulfed in green fire.

But both Natsu and Cana were worried, because it may not work. Celestial spirits didn't draw magic from other nano but from the spirit realm itself.

But Loki didn't want Natsu's help. The second he had the strength to move his hand he pushed Natsu away, the saint unwilling to force Loki to live, and so he took a step back, canceling the spell but simply glad they had more time to _convince_ Loki to live on his own.

But even then Natsu was surprised, in the two seconds he was filling Loki's magic container, it had siphoned almost ten percent of Natsu's own magic container. Which was enough power to easily be a high A Class mage, and that just proved he deserved the title as Leader of the twelve Zodiac.

"noo... Noo! What have you done?!" Loki screamed as he turned his head to look at the saint, his anger turning to insanity making Cana watch on in pity.

And then the orange haired man looked towards his hand, a dangerous gleam in his eye as he looked at the ring on his hand, until it was suddenly covered by one of Natsu's, the scarred, coarse skin clenching his hand tight enough he couldn't even think of using his magic, making the spirit turned man look at Natsu in anger

But Natsu would not let go, rather deciding to lift Loki into the air effortlessly, so that he would not make them fall off the cliff in his tantrum.

"I was so close! Finally, I would be free from the pain! Why would you do that to me!" Loki screamed making Natsu sigh as he carried Loki over to the tomb before throwing the orange haired man down in front of it.

"Because you're not done yet... Isn't it your job to protect the spirits?" Natsu asked as he looked at his hand and sighed, before raising all four keys into the sky, confusing Loki since Aquarius required water to be summoned.

But to everyone's shock, a loud sound of a bell echoed throughout the cliff, as a large white light appeared behind Natsu.

But to even his surprise, it did not reveal four spirits, but one.

It was a large man, maybe thirty feet tall in height, completely adorned in thick silver armor, excluding a few golden decals. He had a huge, twenty-two-foot sword in his hand, the blade black as night and it's edge as silver as the moon. He had a jade colored cape, torn at the ends, hanging off of his shoulders.

But his most striking feature was his long white mustache. And the star helmet upon his head.

And Loki was the only one who recognized the monstrosity before him and felt pure fear in his heart as he stared at a man he hadn't seen in three years.

It seems as if Natsu's actions had not gone unnoticed.

 **Lucy's PoV**

"Let's go!" Lucy shouted the second the train stopped, both she and Yukino tearing out of the train cart as Gajeel stood up, following the two energetic women out with a sigh, before stopping at the door, his eyes drawn to the golden book on the floor as his mind flashed back to a certain petite bluenette.

"Come on Gajeel! Let's goooooo" Yukino yelled childishly from outside the train station making Gajeel roll his eyes as he slowly made his way out of the train.

"Okay! This way!" Lucy yelled the second Gajeel stepped outside, as she began to run off, with Yukino running in tow as the two beauties unwittingly took every male's attention.

Gajeel kept walking behind them, until a massive spike of energy surged near the cliff where Karen was buried, making Gajeel's eyes widen in shock before his body blurred, running as fast as he could without magic as he shot toward the cliff, grabbing a stellar image in each arm as he ran.

But they didn't scream, recognizing the severity of the situation as they closed their eyes, lest they get motion sick by the speed they were moving at.

 **Natsu's PoV**

"No! How?! How are you here?" Loki sobbed as he stared at the giant before him while Natsu fire began swirling around his form, a kind of imitation as he stood before Cana and Loki. The brunette had her hands on her cards, but she too was worried, unless that is what Natsu was planning all along.

" **Never, never had I felt someone attempt to open four gates at once. Especially since you almost summoned Aquarius without the use of water. And so I ask. Who, are you,"** The giant rumbled as they pointed their large sword at Natsu's through, the blade spanning the distance between them as the colossal point hovered under his chin, the speed and precision at which the blade moved created a gust strong enough to blow dust and clothing.

But Natsu did not back down, his fire shifting to its black, hellish counterpart making Thr behemoths eyes widened in curiosity.

How was it, that this man was able to use a magic as purr as Stellar keys, and a former as dark as hellfire?

"My name Is Natsu Dragneel, heir to the throne of Fire Dragons," Natsu announced, his stone strong and clear as he met the giant's gaze, watching as the man's hardened stare weakened slightly in recognition.

 **"Ah, yes. The prince who gave life back to the ice. The council barely ruled in your favor,"** The giant commented making Natsu's eyes shoot open in shock, his flame immediately disappearing as he fell to his knees, his head bowed as he finally recognized the being before him.

For it was the Celestial Spirit King. And part of the Council of Myth.

Cana looked at Natsu confused, but she too lowered to her knees, bowing her head at an angle that still granted her vision of this giant before them who knew of what happened on Galuna Island.

"Forgive me, my grace. For I am grateful for the chance the council has granted me,-" Natau began as he continued to stare at the ground, while Loki watched in utter confusion.

 **"But now you stick your nose in my domain, interfering with my ruling over mine own people,"** Thr Celestial spirit king interrupted, making Natsu clench his fist as he realized what situation hr out himself in.

As he had crossed a line.

"Forgive me, my grace. But that man bears the mark of my guild. The mark of a man struggling to find his path in life, I cannot simply stand back and watch as he dies for protecting another spirit, as is his duty," Natsu rebutted as he raised his head, now kneeling on the ground as he stared straight up at the king.

 **"But in doing that, he broke the most important rule. One that would generally result in immediate execution. But I let him live-"** The spirit king explained, his tone full of righteous annoyment as he stared at the prince before him.

"You let him suffer!" Natsu raged as he shot too his feet, burst of pure green flames shooting out in a circle around his body, traveling towards Loki.

But the flames were blocked by The Kings Sword.

" **Enough! The only reason you are not dead is because I admire your loyalty to your fellow man, but if-"** The spirit knight bellowed as he knelt before Natsu, lowering his head so that he was at eye contact with the fire dragon prince, their faces only a few feet apart but, the knight was interrupted by the sounds of someone breaking through the brush, their movement creating a small breeze id wind as they came to a stop.

It was Gajeel holding Both Yukino and Lucy in different arms, his arms wrapped around their waist as they all stared at the giant in shock, and a tinge of fear.

"Loki!" Lucy yelled in shock, the pitch of her fearful voice reached causing Gajeel to drop both Celestial Wizards on the ground in favor of protecting his tender ears.

And that's when the King caught sight of Lucy, his memory flashing back to the strongest Stellar mage to have ever walked in the mortal realm... Anna Heartfillia.

Everyone but the Ming had turned to the Ring mage in worry, as now his entire body was fading in and out of existence,

"Look at him! Look at him dammit! Karen's death isn't worth another! Leo did nothing wrong other than protecting a fellow spirit! Certainly, an ancient rule could be overlooked?!" Natsu raged pure magic beginning to radiate from his body, his entire form outlined in a pure white color as his magic continued to build up.

But both Yukino and Lucy were too shocked the pain they felt as their bodies were slammed to the ground from the sheer force of his magic pressure, their mind stuck on Natsu's words as they finally caught onto what was, and had truly happened.

"No, Natsu, its okay, it's time for me to finally be free of my guilt," Loki's tired voice said, making Natsu's magic output completely shut off, letting the others release a sigh in relief as they slowly got up from the ground.

 **"Rules and Laws simply cannot be bent or forgotten just to save your friend, young prince. Leo's death had been set in stone three years ago."** Thr king announced as they straightened from their crouching position, but his eyes never once turned to Loki's agonized form.

"You can't do that! You can't speak of him as if he's dead when he's standing right before us! You can save him!" Lucy screamed as she ran to Natsu's left side, as Yukino ran to his right, their respective keys in their hand as they stood before the Celestial Spirit King.

"You have to let him back into the spirit realm! Hasn't he been punished enough?! He lived off of his own magic for three years! Surely he has paid enough?"Yukino backed Lucy up as they all held their keys in their hands, making the Spirit King look confused as hr considered their words.

"I'm not even asking for you let him back... Just let Mr give him more time," Natsu said softly as he closed his eyes, channeling his magic into the four keys he held as white silhouettes began to form behind him, making everyone stare in shock as he wordlessly summoned four stellar spirits.

A flash of searing heat was offset by the misty ocean breeze as three forms appeared behind was of a beautiful woman. Taller than Cana, standing at Almost six feet. Her legs were long and alabaster, her skin glistening in the night sky as if she was covered in droplets of water.

She had long blue hair, with a teardrop jewel suspended in her forehead by a golden chain.

And Lucy easily recognized her.

It was Aquarius, but she no longer had the beautiful tail of a mermaid, but this time wearing beautiful sandals that had just enough straps and ties to stay on her feet, while still bearing it all.

The form beside her was of a large, ten-foot tall bipedal creature. They smelled of smoke and it on, but they were no human.

It had no face, but it the heat. It was made entirely of iron but was entirely filled with fire. It had a huge torso, large, thick shoulders, but a small waste and stubby legs in comparison. Upon its head was a crown made of iron, with flames for hair.

There were many iron grills, displaying the almost lava-like substance that powered the automaton it was as fearsome as it was unmoving.

Only the spirit king had recognized Furnax.

The third spirt that appeared behind Natsu was respectively smaller, but that did not mean it was lighter.

It was of a small boulder, maybe two feet in diameter, but it had arms and legs made completely out of stone, it's legs being a third of the length of its arms. And it had large, angry eyes on its face, set into a permanent scowl, literally set in stone.

It was the gate of the mountain, Mensa.

But the question on everyone's mind, was where was the fourth spirit?

That was until they heard the sound of crackling from Underneath Natsu's feet, their eyes widening when they saw the five-foot black and purple vortex he stood upon, unaware that dark clouds were shifting in their direction, the sound of fighting crackling the distance.

And they had a heart attack when a huge black and purple serpent shot out of the ground, carrying Natsu into the sky as it continued to shoot out of the now recognizable magic circle under his feet.

It was the same spirit Erza and Gray tried to describe to Lucy and Yukino. The thirteenth Zodiac Opchius, the snake charmer.

After Opichius finished exiting the circle, she flew around, her huge, long body cutting through the air with a grace unknown to man as she began to settle, most of her body resting on the side of the cliff as she laid beside his other spirits.

"They all agree with Me and stand by my side just as Leo had for another spirit. Humans continuously have grown and learned because they recognize that they made mistakes, and understand that some rules weren't meant to last," Natsu said as he jumped off Opichious head and breaking the stunned silence as even Loki stared at the summoned spirits in shock.

 **"Be that as it may, if not for his actions, his summoner would not have perished. And what is that crime punishable by your laws, young prince?"** The spirit king asked, completely ignoring the two other stellar mages at his side in favor for talking with the next in line for the council of Myth, as Igneel's successor.

"Protecting a friend is not a crime. Every mage accepts the risk when they begin their journey with magic. Knowing that we may die while serving others. Karen knew that as well, but farm had tainted her hart and poisoned her mind." Natsu responded making the giant smirk as they turned to look at Loki for the first time, his mind beginning to change as he looked at all those standing up to him.

 **"But what is the crime, for being responsible for another death, even if you never wished it."** The spirit king asked as he looked at the young women by Natsu's side.

"It's called Manslaughter," Cana called out as she walked up beside the spirits, simultaneously checking out the water spirit beside her, her eyes widening when she realized Aquarius might actually be a cup size larger than her own, making the woman realize that Natsu may have attracted eyes not even from earthland.

"Yeah, and it's bots a crime punishable by death!" Lucy yelled out in support as she closed her eyes, holding all her keys in her hand as she foolishly tried to outdo Natsu, only to look on in annoyance as Plue appeared before her, making Gajeel break out in laughter from the sidelines.

 **"And what is the punishment, young heartfilia?"** The spirit king asked making Lucy blush as she looked at Plur, shocked that the spirit knight knew her name.

"Its a crime punishable by imprisonment, until it can be sure that the charged feels remorse for their crime," Yukino said softly, making the King smile as he turned to look at Loki, making the orange haired playboy feel a glimmer of hope as his magic w bout to run out, realizing that maybe he would be welcomed back into the spirit realm.

 **"Then it seems we have Leo's ruling,"** The spirit king announced as he locked eyes with Natsu, making the sakura haired saint smile as he flashed away, appearing by Loki's side as he pressed his magic infused hand inside Loki's fading body, before it erupted in an explosion of our green flames, leaving everyone shocked as they watched Loki's body begin to reenter Earthland, as Natsu pulled his hand away.

But Loki had not returned to the spirit realm.

"Hasn't he suffered enough?! When will his pain be over?" Lucy screamed as she stormed towards the king with Plue in tow, making everyone chuckle as she began to beat on his shin, tears rolling down her cheeks as she glared at the old man.

 **"But his sentence is not yet complete. And at that time he will return. But he has some work to do as a mage still,"** The Ming announced as the sound of a gong enveloped the entire area, as every spirit flashed away, leaving Gajeel, Yukino, Lucy, Cana, Loki and Natsu alone on the cliffside.

And then Natsu fell to the ground in exhaustion.

"Natsu!" Cana cried out as she ran to his side, while Yukino and Lucy rushed to Loki's unsure s to what state they would find him in.

But he was smiling, even as tears rolled down his face, as he recognized what the king truly intended for him, the second he heard him say Lucy's name.

He was going to train them and replace Karen's position with two new Stellar Mages of an even higher caliber.

"I'm okay, just a little tired," Natsu said with a chuckle as Cana helped him to his feet, drawing everyone's attention as they turned to the saint, including Gajeel.

"What the Hell _prince!"_ Gajeel growled as he stormed towards Natsu, anger clear on his face as he looked at the saint.

"Was the strength of a dragon not good enough for you? How dare you shame our parents by using another magic!" Gajeel growled as he stooped a foot away From Natsu, making the pinkette sigh as he gently pushed Cana behind him as he looked Gajeel in the eyes.

"I would never turn my back on my heritage, but that doesn't mean I'll turn my back on other magic because of pride," Natsu replied evenly as he stood before Gajeel, understand why he was mad.

They were the same age. And he not only had more mastery over his element, but had begun mastering other magics as well, and that made Gajeel feel even more inadequate, as he compared himself to Natsu.

"Thank you," Loki interrupted as Yukino and Lucy helped him to his feet, making Gajeel growl as the man turned around and stormed off into the forest, but he made no sound.

"Anytime," Natsu said lightly as he went to turn around, only for Cana to put his arm around her shoulder, a smile on her face as she looked at him adoringly.

Because Natsu stood up to the spirit king, a man that could easily kill him for someone else who had shunned and ignored him, all because it was the right thing to again proving he was who she thought he was, even if he seemed to have this darkness inside of him.

"I still can't believe he didn't let you return to the spirit realm," Lucy muttered as they helped Loki walk towards the other two fairies, now forming something of a circle

"No, actually, I'm glad he didn't, I still have something to do here before I return," Loki said as he looked Natsu in the eye, making Natsu smirk as he nodded his head, confusing everyone else.

"Yes you do," Natsu said with a gentle smile as he turned around, beginning to lead everyone back to the train station, confusing the women present.

"Hey! Why did Aquarius have legs?!" Lucy suddenly asked, finding herself calmer than she ever thought she would, to meet her new summoner.

Everyone put their focus on Natsu, curious to hear what sort of explanation he would have for something like that.

"... I don't know," Natsu replied as he glanced behind him, his onyx black eyes meeting her precious blue, while Cana rolled her his stupid response.

"Who were those spirits anyway?" Yukiko asked curiously as they continued their late night nature walk, enjoying the peaceful forest in the dark of night, listening to the chirping of grasshoppers and enjoying the casual flickering of fireflies.

"Aquarius, the water barrier. Fornax the furnace, and Mensa the mountain. Who was the fourth Natsu? I've never seen that serpent before?" Loki asked curiously as he stepped over a fallen branch.

"Opichius the Snake charmer, the Thirteenth Zodiac. I'm assuming since you were banished, they had to refill your spot and restore the balance amongst the spirits," Natsu offered with a shrug, unaware that it was actually quite informative, even though Cana cringed when she mentioned his banishment, bring way too soon to talk with him about it.

"So you were there when they buried Karen, huh," Loki said a few minutes later, Natsu's comment forcing them into a sullen silence as they walked through the forest, even though Lucy would jump at every howl or growl.

"I was. Master Bob was furious when they pushed her funeral date back even one day so that I could come and get her scent," Natsu said shocking Lucy and Yukino while Cana gently squeezed his hand in comfort, knowing how many failures could bear down on you.

"Wait! Why the hell did you need her scent?" Lucy asked, remembering the case quite clearly as it was published in the Source Magazine.

Karen had died saving from a burning building, barely able to get them out before the building collapsed in her. A true hero's death.

"The council falsified her entire death. She was murdered, and I failed to bring in those responsible," Natsu replied, his tone rough as he continued to look forward, every turn seeming to be a guess, but they all trusted his direction.

"What?! Why!" Yumino and Lucy screamed simultaneously making Natsu fall to his knees in pain, clutching his ears making Cana turn and glare at the two very sheepish women.

"She was a famous S-Class mage, her murder would have made some question their safety. But it was who killed her that forced their hand." Loki explained as Cana helped Natsu to his feet, and the saint began to lead them once more.

"Wait, who killed her?" Yukino whispered until she realized how absurd she was being as everyone turned to look at her, making the young woman look at her feet embarrassed.

"One of this three heads of the Baram Alliance, and one of the strongest dark in Fiore. The Oraxion Seis." Natsu explained as he leads them out of the forest, tight towards the outskirts of town.

"Wait, if you know who killed her, how did you fail the mission?" Lucy asked stupidly, her confidence in Natsu's undesirable strength making her blind to the harsh truth behind the curtains.

"I never said I beat them, did I?" Natsu said as he turned around, his face more serious than Lucy had ever seen, even more so than Deliora.

And that struck fear in her heart.

And made them all go silent as they approached the train station, watching as Natsu paid and they boarded without another word.

Until Lucy had an idea.

"Why don't we go find them now? That way Loki can go back to the spirit realm!" Lucy offered innocently, unaware that was not the reason for his continued exploration.

"You don't understand, this isn't like Phantom Lord, there are only seven members, each of them as strong as Erxa or Gajeel," Natsu said with a sigh as he looked at Lucy, amused by her fighting spirit.

"Then they just come with us! And maybe that would help clear Fairy Tails name with the council,!" Yukino offered excitedly, making Cana roll her eyes from her spot beside Natsu, even if there was a smile on her face.

"It is forbidden by the council for any legal guild to touch the big three without request. Every dark guild is linked, even more so than legal guilds. And so if that guild were to fail, then the repercussions could be tremendous," Cana replied, finding it hard not to laugh when their faces dropped.

"No, they're right. We actually have a chance. We could avenge Karen, and rid the world of their evil. You're the sixth, surely you have some pull?" Loki offered, his eyes hard as steel as he looked at Natsu, the intensity making the saint sigh.

"That's actually part of the problem. My rank is in question because of Aria's state of well being." Natsu replied with a sigh as he closed his eyes, grateful that Gildarts had him train his motion sickness.

"I'm not so sure about that," Cana interjected making everyone look at her confused.

"What Natsu did was nothing short of a miracle, easily the work of one of the four. I wouldn't count yourself out yet," Cana said with swink towards Natsu, relishing in the resulting blush.

"Thr only way to go up in ranks for Me is if one of the five were to step down," Natsu explained tiredly as he looked out the window.

"But, I do have an idea, just give it some time so that the council gets off our back first, we are underway too much surveillance right now," Natsu said with a smile, making Loki, Yukino and Lucy cheer.

* * *

And onto the reviews!

Guest- thanks for the money conversion.

Lfdchamp- I intend to continue the story, and Ill write as much as i can.

For all those who read this a few hours ago, I apologize for the errors.

For Fornax, look up dwarven automata for a better picture of what it looks like. And if you didn't get it by now, Mensa is geodude with legs.

And this concludes the Loke Arc.


	47. A Fate Decided

And Onto the Story!

Aren't you worried about Gajeel?" Lucy asked as Natsu lead her, Yukino, Cana, and Loki out not the train station in Magnolia.

"Nope!" Natsu replied cheerfully as he leads them onto the empty sidewalk, the light of day finally creeping up the horizon like a sloth climbing a tree.

"Wait?! Why not. That due is like, crazy strong!" Yukiko replied as she stared at Natsu wide-eyed, only for her jaw to drop when both Cana and Natsu broke out into laughter.

"What's so-" Yukino began to scream, only for Natsu to have his palm gently covering her mouth in an instant, making the brown-eyed woman lion at him shocked.

"Not so loud, its only about five in the morning, let the people sleep, they've had a stressful few days," Natsu whispered gently without a hint of anger in his tone, his voice a low baritone.

He didn't remove his hand until she nodded her head, her eyes still wide like a deer in the headlights.

She had seen him move faster before, but this close, with his hand placed upon her face faster than she could see scared her more than she would like to admit, her mind flashing back to the demon within the fire, as she laid on the stone cold ground on Galuna.

She knew now that he was not a monster, but moments like this reminded her she hasn't always been on his side, and that he could end her faster than she could even blink.

"What did you mean that the people have had a stressful few days? And why was Gajeel so angry?" Lucy whispered quietly as they crossed the quiet, dead street. The only lights being that of the street lacrima's.

"I realize you are new to the guild system, but I am surprised you do not know how much the cities depend on their guilds," Cana commented as she looked back at the stellar mages from her spot beside Natsu, not worried at all about the few lone magic mobiles, because she trusted that Natsu would save her.

"What do you mean? I know they provide protection and all, but why would it be that stressful?" Lucy asked indignantly, and also a little disappointed in herself as well.

She had spent years fantasizing about adventures and romance, without once trying to train or learn.

"Guilds are more than just protection. They are a constant, they bring foot traffic to cities, providing business for stores. Especially for our guild," Cana commented with a smirk as she turned forward, noticing but not commenting on Loki's silence as he looked at the city, but this time it was if he saw something different, like he finally saw what was truly there.

"I never really thought about it like that," Yukino replied almost carelessly. "But what about Gajeel?" The young woman asked, her upbeat, nothing-gets-me-down attitude putting a smile on Nate's face.

"Gajeel is jealous," Natsu answered as he leads the group around the corner, leaving both stellar mages quite confused.

"What do you mean? It sure didn't sound like that," Lucy commented as she rubbed her chin.

"He's jealous of Natsu's strength. His control is immeasurable, and it makes Gajeel mad at himself for not being able to keep up with the flame head." Loki replied from the back, his hands in his pocket as he continued to look around, making the two stellar mages turn around and look at him.

"No, we get that but why was he mad Natsu used more than one magic? He seemed really pissed," Yukino queried from the middle of the sidewalk making Natsu sigh as he turned around for the first time since they arrived in Magnolia.

"There are different ways to look some magic," Natsu began as they formed a circle, curious to hear the Saints explanation.

"Dragon Slaying magic, for example, is the only magic anyone would ever need, as long as they were smart enough to work with it properly," Natsu explained with a straight face, remembering when Makarov explained something similar to him as well, suggesting he learn requip magic.

"Dragon slaying magic is both offensive and defensive, possibly even the strongest lost magic due to its seemingly endless limitations. You've seen both Me and Gajeel revert our bodies to our elements," Natsu commented making Lucy and Yukino nod, understanding what he meant while Cana smirked, realizing that Natsu almost had split personalities.

The first was a complete idiot, who couldn't read people to save his life. It was a brash and impulsive persona, with no care for consequences.

The second was intelligent, kind and patient, thoughtful and decent.

But together they made up Natsu Dragneel but weren't so different that it actually accentuated two distinct personalities.

And this, the man talking was the genius, who understood magic better than any scholar could.

"And then there is magic like requip, telekinesis or even telepathy. They can be strong magic. Erza is a good example of that." Natsu commented, a smirk growing on his face when Loki's, or Leo's face slightly paled.

"But they are more commonly used as a secondary magic, a backup, used to enhance the primary. And that's why Gajeel was furious," Natsu explained before turning around, his cloak billowing as he began to walk towards the guild with Cana by his side, hoping to find Makarov there.

"Wait! I still don't get it!" Yukiko whisper yelled as she ran to catch up after thinking for a second, leaving Lucy on her own, not that she realized that anyways.

"Gajeel is mad Natsu uses two primary magic. Sure, his fire dragon slaying magic is much more potent, but he is as good as a weak S class mage with his stellar magic as well, and that's just based off of his physical abilities and magical power." Cana explained as she continued to watch Natsu walk forward, staying in her spot so that Lucy and Yukino could hear her.

"I think I get it now... Gajeel feels he is in direct competition with Natsu because they have the same base magic, but with different elements. And Natsu has far surpassed Gajeel," Lucy commented as she finished rubbing her chin, opening her eyes only to see that Leo had disappeared.

"There you go. You get it," Cana said with a small smile as she turned around, choosing to head back towards her apartment leaving both stellar mages alone on the road.

 **Ezra's PoV**

"Come on people! Get a move on!" Ezra ordered from within the front door of Natsu's home, having had forced her way in to ensure that the girls hadn't made a mess while staying at his home.

But little did she forget that both Yukino and Lucy had gone with Gajeel to help find Loki, and after two minutes the only people who were walking down the stairs were an equally groggy Sherry and Shiko.

"What's going on?" Shiko asked with a yawn as she reached the bottom of the stairs, her nightwear consisting of a simple t-shirt and sweatpants.

Sherry, however, chose to remain silent as she stretched her back, her own nightwear consisting of a plain white crop top that revealed the bottom of her bosom as she stretched her arms above her head, and a sinfully short pair of purple short shorts.

"You two have impeded on Natsu kindness far too long! Two days is more than enough time to find your one accommodations!" Ezra ordered making Shiko roll her eyes, easily reading through Erza's actions, especially because of the way her pupils dilated and retracted.

She was clearly trying to impress Natsu.

"Have you forgotten that the first night was the beginning of a guild war? And the day after the end of the same, said war?" Shiko asked with a sigh as she turned away from Erza and approached the kitchen, prompting the knight to follow, a gentle blush on her face with Sherry in tow.

"While that may be true, you two simply can't take advantage of his kindness," Erza stammered after a second of silence making Shiko roll her eyes.

"If it makes you happy, I was going to look at apartments today," Shiko replied as she opened the cooling lacrima, and pulling out a carton of chicken eggs, and a bottle of milk, a common breakfast on Galuna Island since their village was completely self-dependent.

"That is unnecessary, I have already found appropriate accommodations for all new members," Erza replied, her monotonous demanding tone re cementing itself as she requipped a piece of paper, and set it on the center island behind the healer, turning when she heard Sherry enter.

The scarlet-haired wizard simply equipped another piece of paper, exact to the one she set behind Shiko and held it out to Sherry, making the shy woman take it cautiously.

"Fairy Hills Apartment, open only to Female Fairy Tail Wizards... Apartments starting at eighty thousand jewels a month," Sherry muttered making Shiko turn away from her breakfast confused.

"Hey, Erza, you do remember that I never joined your guild, right?" The healer asked as she stared at the s class mage confused.

"You are our guildmate in all but mark. You stood by us and fought with us. Saving us. You are a Fairy in heart, and that is all that matters." Erza replied resolutely, making Shiko sweat drop when she realized Erza would force the landlord to accept her tenancy.

"Thank you," Sherry said suddenly making Erza turn around confused as she looked at the tired doll mage.

"I know I haven't been the easiest person to talk to or be around, but Lyon hurt me. He really did, and... I guess I was just trying to figure out a new purpose in life," Thr shy pinkette said, making Erza smile as she realized she was beginning to open up.

"When my Deliora attacked... My parents did their best to protect me, but my house ended up collapsing with me inside. And somehow, somehow I survived, my parents, having had hidden me under a desk." Sherry explained unaware her story surprised both mages present.

"I was so scared... It was dark and cold and it was getting hard to breathe... And I couldn't stop crying. And then I saw a glimmer of light, and fresh air as I was about to pass out. Lyon was there, digging me out with his bare hands. He saved me... And that's when I began to fall for him, even though I didn't know what it was." Sherry explained as she walked towards the living room with tears running down her face, prompting Shiko to take her food off the stove and turn around, both she and Erza focusing on the pinkettes story.

"And when he told me what happened and that we were going to avenge our parents... I couldn't have been happier. And it turned out he had been lying to me the entire time. All our memories, a lie..." Sherry explained making their eyes widen, never have thought it was really that bad, but now they understood her unwillingness to make new friends.

Because her first love had used her, breaking her heart in the process.

"And I was just so scared, that any of you would do the exact thing. That you were just using me to help fight Phantom Lord..." Sherry explained making Erza clench her fist in anger.

But it wasn't at Sherry, but at Lyon.

Because he reminded her of a certain blue-haired man...

"But today, you walk in, with no lies, no false promises... And it makes me hope that maybe I can find a new home... and someone new to love..." Sherry explained, a smile on her tear ridden face as she looked up at Erza, who smiled in return... Even though she heard the end of her comment.

"One thing though, due to the current state of our guild hall, you will not be required to pay rent until the guild is functioning once more, so you can move in today, even though you may have no money," Erza said with a smile, making both women's jaw drop, amazes they Makarov had been able to strike such a deal.

"There's no way any good businessman would allow such a participle in any contract," Shiko commented as she turned back around, intending to finish making her breakfast.

"Ans that's why a businessman doesn't actually own Fairy Hills, the guild does, basically" Erza replied as she stood up and walked towards Natsu's cabinets, beginning to carefully search through them looking for a nice, morning tea, while Sherry approached the Island, rather choosing to sit and watch as the two prepared their morning sustenance.

"Right, and if I'm going to move in, I at least want to know who I'll be paying," Shiko said with a small smirk on her face as she turned around, a simple omelette and a few slices of bacon on her plate as she turned around to sit at the granite island across from the stove, where Erza was preparing her morning tea.

"Very well, and you have the right to know as well. The deed is written under the name "Master of Fairy Tail", it's a clause of its own really. It took years for it to even be passed through," Erza explained as she began to open and close the cobourts, looking for a teacup, and plate as they all listened to the sound of steam spraying out of the kettle, prompting Sherry to get off the couch and move forward, in order to hear Erza better, especially since it was still quite confusing as to what she was talking about.

"What do you mean exactly, doesn't that mean that Makarov owns Fairy Hills?" Shiko asked curiously as she began to dig into her breakfast, starting with the eggs, cooked with simple salt and pepper. A classic.

"Perhaps, but then others also believe that the ownership goes to the first Master of Fairy Tail, Mavis Vermillion, the Fairy Tactician," Erza explains as she carefully rested the tea bag and string on the side of the cup, ensuring that when she poured the boiling water into the cup, the tag wouldn't fall in.

"Wait, But that lady is dead right?" Sherry asked as she sat across from Shiko at the counter, watching as Erza carefully lifted the kettle off of the stove and carefully poured in approximately eight ounces into the cup, before sitting down beside Shiko, gently stirring her tea with a spoon.

"That is true, however, they never found her body, so for some reason, people still believe she is the true master of Fairy Tail," Erza explained as she used her spoon to carefully remove the tea bag from her now darkened, reddish-brown tea.

"That's absurd, there's no way she could have lived that long," Sherry interjected, her eggs now finished and on her last slice of bacon.

"That is true, but some still listen to folk tales and legends," Erza replied with a special nonchalance as she took a sip of her cup, taking her tea black.

"Hey, what type of tea is that?" Sherry asked curiously, her throat feeling parched as the aromatic scent of her tea drifting towards the pinkette making Erza smile.

 **Ultear's PoV**

"So why on earthland did Gran Doma schedule this meeting so early if he wasn't going to show up!" A small, crotchety old man bemoans as seven out of nine thought projections stand clear in an unknown location, each occupying their own magic circle, all of them wrapped around a singular, larger and even more complex magic circle.

"Perhaps it is because of the severity of the case, plus Gran Doma isn't the only one missing, Siegrain is as well," An older, but still physically capable woman replied, her voice still strong.

"That is true, However, I believe Gran Doma is delayed simply because he is preparing Commander Lahar to join us," An older, normal man commented from his place beside councilwoman Belno, making everyone nod their heads in agreement as silence enveloped the room, the early morning meeting affecting all present, as nobody wished to speak a word.

"Say, Ultear, you were sent with Lahar to investigate, can-" Another councilmember asked, only to be interrupted as three separate magical presences flared in the room.

Siegrain, from the ninth seat.

Gran Doma, from the first seat.

And Commander Lahar appearing in the center of the room, being both the proof, evidence and witness to the entire case, one of which where all accused or involved were unable and unaware they even had to fight for their own rights.

Because this was the magic council, a group of selfish, backstabbing people who cared more about money and power than peace and happiness.

"You weren't about to ask Ultear to disclose restricted information without all present, were you Leiji?" Siegrain commented cooly, making the man's mouth shot open in shock, before closing not even a second after, the man's eyes narrowing at the arrogant young man, but was smart enough to keep his comments to himself.

"Enough bickering, there is too much to discuss. Council will now be in session!" Gran Doma announced loudly, his voice strong, but slightly raspy as he slams his iconic, snakehead staff onto the ground, the contact of his staff to the circle sending a flash of light throughout the entire room, turning every blue magic circle pink, locking everyone in, and allowing no magic other than those already in the building to run.

But it was a pointless precaution because the meeting room was impossible to find by any use of magic. There was no scent, no trace. And not even Gran Doma know where it truly was, the location is a secret lost to the annals of time.

"Lahar, report your findings," Gran Doma demanded.

"Very well. The first place my regimen went to investigate was the Heartfillia Estate since we were already there intending to apprehend and resolve the conflict." Lahar reported as he tapped a lacrima on his side, making dozens of a sheet of paper appear around his body, slowly circling and allowing the council members to see, and read all witness reports if they chose to.

"When we arrived Saint Drajnerl and Saint Porla were locked in combat, their forms were hidden under a huge dome of fire, a move made by Saint Dragneel, his reason being to keep everyone safe from their magic." Lahar explained from behind the sheets of paper, before a new image was projected, this time being a live feed from Jose Porla's cell, his one proper and gentlemanly stature being reduced to that of a burn victim.

His body was almost completely wrapped from chin to ankle in bandages, different casts, salves, and wraps being used to aid the man's recovery. He was missing half a head of hair, his once luscious locks reduced to scraggly, uneven strands.

"When the dome dissipated, only Jose was left in the wake, the entire ground burnt and scorched, but Saint Dragneel was nowhere to be found," Lahar explained, opening his mouth to continue as the lacrima feed cut off, only to be interrupted by Siegrain.

"And where is Saint Dragneel? Jose Porla was a well mannered good man, surely Dragneel should be prosecuted for his state?" Siegrain interrupted, his voice cool, but conniving, making everyone turn to look at the bespectacled man, making him adjust his glasses nervously.

"That's where this situation gets complicated. Phantom Lord was contracted by Jude Heartfilia, to retrieve one Lucy Heartfilia, who was later found as part of the Fairy Tail Guild. Evidence would suggest that Saint Porla used this as an excuse to settle the score, planning an attack on Fairy Tail, which was the cause of Team Shadow Gear's injuries." Lahar explained, the pictures Makarov sent on the first day of combat appeared, swirling around Lahar so that everyone could be reminded what had happened to them.

"And are you sure that this was not just some rogue Phantoms actions? Because its obvious by now that Fairy Tail has no care, nor regard for the rules. Thus making it plausible that they rushed in to retaliate and forced Phantom to defend themselves." Michello questioned, his cat tail twitching deliciously behind him as half of the council chimed in agreement.

"We considered that as well, until I found proof against that theory," Lahar explained making both Michello, and Siegrain frown as a heavily detailed document appeared on the screen.

"This document was handed to me by Juvia Lockser, one of the element four," Lahar explained making Ultear smile ever so slightly as everyone focused on the pages hiding the commander.

"There dictate Jose's well laid out plan, on how he intended to force Fairy Tail to attack, a move only made with Laxus, Gildarts, Mystogan and Saint Dragneel out of town, with Erza Scarlet and Gray Fubuster exhausted from the extermination of Deliora." Lahar explained making Yajima and Councilwoman Belno nod their heads in agreement, while Yuri sighed because it was a very well laid out plan.

"From eyewitness reports, a group of Fairies arrived at Oaktown guildhall, lead by Makarov and Erza Scarlet. Lucy Heartfilia was also part of the assault group. Apparently, during the commotion Aria was able to use Metsu on Makarov, removing him from the fight while Gajeel was able to Match Erza, forcing the fairies to flee, with Makarov on his deathbed, but Lucy Heartfilia was not reported to be part of that group." Lahar explained as the pages faded, revealing his form once more.

"What are you insinuating Commander Lahar, did Phantom Kidnap Lucy Heartfilia? And attempt to murder Master Makarov?" Org questioned, speaking up for the first time since the meeting has started, making everyone look at Lahar.

"That is what the evidence suggests, especially since it is plausible that Lucy was snuck onto one of the Heartfiliia express railways, accompanied by Jose Porla himself to escort her to a wedding. But the situation escalates from there," Lahar answered with a sigh before pausing, waiting for any questions before moving on.

"Is that just speculation or is there any proof behind that claim,?" Leiji asked curiously, making Lahar sigh.

"We have not been able to ascertain the camera feed from the Rail Roads, however, there was some mention of the train inside Juvia's notes," Lahar commented making everyone nods, it was proof enough for now, but they needed those tapes.

"Moving on, this is when it gets tricky, Juvia and Sol were returning from Magnolia, with multiple reports of them being seen within a three-kilometer radius of the Fairy Tail guild hall. They then captured all Fairies escaping from the phantoms Oaktown Guildhall, except Makarov, whom Erza hid in the garbage." Lahar explained before continuing on.

"This is when Natsu entered the scene, gathering mages at Fairy Tail before heading to Oaktown, where he somehow restored Makarovs magic before leading the second assault on Phantom. That is when Natsu defeated the element four, and Black Steel Gajeel, before interrogating both Juvia and Gajeel, as his guildmates defeated the rest of the phantoms then freed the first assault group," Lahar explained with a heavy heart, as images of Sol, Totomaru and Aria appeared on the screen, making some even gasp at their, or more specifically Aria's state.

Totomaru was in the best condition, a simple IV in his arm as he sharpened his katana, sitting upright at the edge of his hospital bed in front of a window.

Sol was doing a little worse, his small torso wrapped in Gauze from when he slammed into the ground, but he was still able to flip through pages of a book, his broken monocle still on his face.

But Aria? He was completely immobile, his body wrapped in an almost full body cast as a male nurse gently poured water into his open mouth, but Aria was unable to move.

"Is he... Is he paralyzed?" Yuri asked almost indifferently, coughing a bit due to simple old age as they all looked at Aria in pity.

"For the meantime, yes, however-" Lahar began, only to be cut off by Siegrain.

"I don't believe this situation allows a " however". Saint Dragneel has officially put four legal mages into a hospital. All of which being S-Class, and if other reports are correct, ruined the illustrious Heartdilia estate. At least he should be stripped of his rank, the council cannot promote such violence." Siegrain explained cooly, as Michello and Hogg chimed their agreement, whilst Belno, Org and Gran Doma narrowed their eyes, realizing the situation they were stuck in.

"I am not too sure, the majority of the public is on Fairy Tails side, glad that they have mages who will stand up to anyone to protect them. But we also can't ignore the obvious. Natsu is far stronger than Makarov," Ultear interjects, bringing all eyes to the stunning woman, even Lahar.

"What are you suggesting," Gran Doma asks, his tone loud and rough as Siegrain glared at the woman.

"Saint Dragneel not only Defeated five S Class mages at the same time, using no more than five spells, but he also placed a complex three-layered seal on Makarovs chest. The seal not only replicated his magic flawlessly but replenished it as well, allowing the man to live. And then he went on to battle Trinity Raven, hired by Jude, then going on to engage Jose, the seventh, and come out victorious no worse for wear." Ultear listed off, their eyes widening the further she went on.

And Ultear used the silence for her benefit, hoping to lessen Natsu's punishment, if not completely save him from it. Because he was honestly the best man she had ever met. And she owed him at least that.

"I completely agree that he went too far, but could any of you stand against the element four, and black steel Gajeel alone, and at a disadvantage? That's a feat only a handful could complete. Not to mention..." Ultear commented before waving her hand at Lahar, making the man sigh as he pressed a lacrima on his leg.

And then a clip from when they first took Jose into custody was played, with Audio in full.

 _"I'm sorry! It's all my fault! I attacked Fairy Tail, to prove I was better than them. I kidnapped Lucy and planned Makarov's death. I will pay for all damages from my hidden accounts-..."_

And then Lahar tapped the lacrima once more.

"Usually, this would be considered a confession, however, his attorney argued that his current state could have been the effect of a spell or drug, and thus this clip was put aside. But, he will pay for all damages, as long as this clip is not used against him in court." Gran Doma surprised everyone by explaining this making Lahar nod in agreement.

"Clearly Natsu Dragneel is far stronger than any of us had realized," Councilwoman Belno commented in the silence.

"But how strong is he? Are you suggesting that he could displace one of the four?" Leiji asked, suspicion clear in his words as he looked at Ultear, curious as to whether she was simply adding to his list to further her own cause.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Strength and power are not all it takes to displace one of the four. They need the knowledge, wisdom, and patience." Gran Doma interrupted, which was unusual. Usually, Gran Doma was one to stay silent, listening to the other members discuss their opinions and then acting as the tie breaker if need be.

"Perhaps we could use this to our advantage, I had received an anonymous report this morning, and had hoped to bring it up after the meeting-" Councilman Org announced, drawing everyone's attention until Gran Doma slammed the tip of his staff on the ground once more.

"Not quite yet Org, Lahar is there anything else to report?" Gran Doma asked making the Commander look the leader in the eyes.

"As I had been saying earlier, Aria's paralysis may not have to remain permanent, Both Saint Dragneel and a new healer in Fairy Tail have offered to mend the injury. On another note, Erza Scarlet had mentioned that Jose had used some death magic, but it was not confirmed, and thus not included in the report." Lahar explained making everyone's eyes shoot open in shock, but Siegrain just smirked.

"But what of Blacksteel and Juvia?" Councilwoman Belno asked, her fondness for the dragonslayer not being a firm secret, especially since she was the one who was in charge of Gajeel when he was integrating into Phantom Lord.

"They appear as if they are considering joining Fairy Tail, but that is just speculation," Lahar responded as he looked the woman in the eye.

And all hell broke loose.

 **Gray's PoV**

"Hey, Mira!" Gray called out as he and Gloria approached the barmaid who was exiting a Law firm, most likely attempting to secure permits for their new Guildhall.

"Oh hi, Gray! Hi Gloria! Are you two on a date?" Mira asked curiously with an angelic smile on her face as she watched them approach, ignoring sounds of the magic mobiles passing by.

But what she did not expect was for Gray to trip on his own feet, landing shirtless on the sidewalk, traffic being tighter since more and more people were heading to work.

And Gloria's face exploded in a blush, confusing the woman. She could have sworn that they had the hots for eachother...

"No no no! Nothing like that! We just got back!" Gray explained hurriedly as he shot to his feet, frantically waving his hands in the air as if he was hoping it would convince her otherwise.

"Got back from... Oh. Ohhh," Mira replied as she remembered what they were doing, her cute face making nearby men cry in adoration, only to be pulled on by their angry wives and girlfriends.

"Yeah, we were going to head to the guild, but we didn't know what to do with this little guy, he's all tuckered out," Gloria commented as she stepped forward, bringing attention to the blue and black bundle in her arms, which was revealed to be Happy upon closer inspection.

"Oh! He's so cute!" Mira squealed quietly as she looked on at the small cat, wearing his little ninja costume, that even had what appeared to be authentic steel stars on his belt.

"Yeah, Natau sent him to help us out," Gray said with a sigh, annoyed he wasn't able to even break into a hospital without help but was confused when Mira gave him a sad look.

"Gray... You know that wasn't the only reason... Right? The council sent two regimens of knights over to investigate the fight. Natsu was arrested, well, almost?" Mira said as she thought about what happened, making their eyes shoot open in shock.

Grays because he was furious that the council would do such a thing, and Gloria's because she wasn't aware that Natsu was so thoughtful.

"What! Wh-" Gray began to rage, only for his mouth to be covered by Gloria's hand, making him look at the woman wide-eyed.

"Not too loud," Gloria whispered as she nodded to the cat in her arms.

"Right, sorry, so where is the flame brain anyways," Gray asked softer, only to get playfully swatted on the arm by Mira as she walked passed the two, most likely heading to her next destination.

"Actually, both he Gajeel and a few other members went out to search for Loke last night, he went missing and refused to reply to Warren," Mora commented sadly, making Gray's eyes widen in shock.

"Did he leave the guild?" Gray asked softly, not wanting to know whether or not his best friend left without even saying goodbye.

"We're not sure, but they should be back by the end of the night," Mira commented happily, leaving Gloria quite confused.

"Why did you only send out a handful of members though! He could be anywhere!" Gloria protested softly as she followed Mira around the corner.

"No, they sent more than enough, how much do you understand about Dragon Slaying Magic," Gray asked softly, even though he clenched his hands in worry.

"It makes him super strong right?" Gloria asked since that was really all she saw of Natsu's magic.

"Kind of, Dragon Slayers get more than that though. Natsu's nose is almost one hundred times stronger than that of dogs. His eyesight is sharper than that of a hawk, and his skin is stronger than steel." Mira explained with a smile on her face, her eyes drifting over the for sale signs at the popular Urban Planet, until Gray saw who was walking out the door, that distinct carrot-colored hair unique to him, and only him.

"Loki?!" Gray shouted in surprise as they watched a man wearing a slick, and perfectly fitted black tuxedo walk out the door, their spiky orange hair almost hiding the furred orange ears in plain sight. And upon Gray's call, Loke turned around.

"Hello, Gray, Mira, and friend," Loki responded cordially, leaving Mira and Gray even more shocked, to the point their jaws fell agape.

Because they had never seen Loki speak to a woman like that... So... So gentlemanly.

"I'm sorry if I had worried any of you, I was just having a bit of a... Midlife crisis," Loki commented as he walked forward, bringing attention to his thick, blue glass glasses, his crisp, but a plain crimson red tie, and his brass-buckled leather belt.

"Dude, what the heck? What's with that new getup?" Gray asked as he fell out of his shock, and annoyed glare on his face as he stared at his best friend, annoyed that he ran away rather than talk to his family about it.

"I have gained a new outlook on life, I am not who I said I am, and I am finally okay with that," Loki said with a smile, not a playboy smirk, or a wink, but a real, genuine smile.

"Are you okay? But I have to admit that suit does work for you..." Mira commented with an appraising look, tapping her left index finger on her chin as she gave Loke a once over.

"Why thank you, ButI am finally okay now, if it wasn't for Natsu or Cana, or the others I would be dead by now, and I am glad to have this chance to make up for what I have done," Loke said seriously, worrying Gloria, especially when Gray nor Mira had any clue what he was talking about.

"What the hell man? What are you talking about!" Gray yelled, no longer caring that Happy was asleep in Gloria's arms, or that people were walking around them on the sidewalk.

"My name isn't Loke, its Leo, Leo the Lion, and Leader of the twelve Zodiac," Loki announced with a dramatic bow, making everyone but Gloria's eyes widen in shock, confused as to why he was claiming to be a stellar spirit when he was clearly a human.

But why would he lie about that, he's clearly afraid of stellar mages, and he was depressed when Lucy was kidnapped as if he made the same mistake twice.

"How's that possible? Where's your caster," Mira asked horrified since that meant he hasn't entered the spirit realm at least since he joined Fairy Tail.

"Karen Lilica is dead, and its all my fault. But, I finally have a chance to make up for it. And I'm not going to let anyone else down," Leo announced with a determined glare, confusing Gloria even further.

"Okay! What the hell is going on here!" The poor assistant cried out making everyone stop and stare at them weirdly, forcing a blush for form on her face as the tiny blue cat finally stirred in her arms, rolling onto his back and cutely stretching his small little paws out.

 **Yajima's PoV**

"What about Saint Dragneel, surely he cannot be allowed to get off Scott free, what type of example would that give to new mages?" Siegrain argued, making Ultear roll her eyes at his incessant attempts to get Natsu in trouble.

'What's this boy up to...' Yajima thought confusedly as he focused solely on Siegrain, hoping to find out why he was being so weird.

"I agree! Fairy Tail cannot be allowed to scrape by once more! They must face the music!" Michello choruses as his tail moved behind him angrily.

"That's not necessarily fair either, Phantom Lord clearly intended to instigate Fairy Tail, we can't exactly expect them not to defend themselves either," Ultear argued making Siegrain turn to the woman, internally fuming at how she curbed his every attempt to get rid of Natsu.

Councilwoman Ultear, forgive me for being so brash, but I don't believe you are thinking clearly ever since Dragneel revived your mother." Siegrain bit at the woman, making some eyes shoot open, having had forgotten that little minor detail, while Ultear sent a scathing glare towards him at the fact he dared to even speak to her.

"Actually Councilwoman Ultear is correct, if you look further into Juvia's notes, there is another section for if Fairy Tail never retaliated," Lahar commented as more pages appeared, hiding the commander from sight once more as the council members looked on.

"True, but we can't just have mages going around and paralyzing people either, no matter the circumstance," Yuri commented, his wisdom and experience bring a large reason as to why he was brought into the council.

'I don't agree with that, Natsu was forced to act quickly lest the marriage be brought to completion,' Yajima thought worriedly as he listened to them go back and forth.

"Councilman Org, what was this tip you got earlier?" Yakima spoke up, making everyone quiet down, curious as to where the chef was going with this.

"One of the three heads of the Balam Alliance was spotted in the North..." Org said cautiously, bringing the entire council to a standstill. The alliance never showed their faces, some having had never been seen nor documented.

"Which one is it?!" Gran Doma asked urgently, everyone's attention on Org but Yajima, who refused to take his eyes off Siegrain, and for good reason.

"Oracion Seis..." Org said worriedly, making Siegrain frown ever so slightly, but Yajima caught it.

"Are you sure this came from a trusted source," Gran Doma warned carefully, the tone of his voice warning Org of consequences if it were to be wrong.

"The Guild Master of Cait Shelter sent the message himself," Org replied stoutly, making everyone's face pale.

"Perhaps this came at the right time then. As Ultear made it so abundantly clear, Natsu is too strong of an asset to let go to waste, and so I propose a test. See if The Fire Prince can succeed where he once failed. Have him go and investigate this rumor," Siegrain proposed, his tune changing from harmonic to melodic so fast it almost gave Yajima whiplash.

'What's his game here...' Yakima thought confused, especially since some of the other members were already receptive to the idea.

"If anyone else were to look for them, they might not catch them. But Natsu has their scent, he should be able to find them this time. And if he takes the Oracion Seis out permanently, then he has served his country and will be exempt from his punishment," Siegrain offered, making Ultear glare at him.

"And if he dies?" Ultear asked, her tone cold as her mother's ice, making the blue-haired saint smile.

"Then he has served his country with honor. Why are you so upset councilwoman Ultear, have you become too attached?" Siegrain asks with a false sense of curiosity, the patronizing tone of his voice making her want to scream.

"I actually agree with Ultear," Councilwoman Belno announced bringing everyone's attention to her.

"Natsu Dragneel is clearly stronger than Makarov, but that does not mean he is ready to fight them alone once more. But, his knowledge pertaining his certain magic is most likely unmatched, perhaps even by the first. What if you were to allow him a small group of mages as a backup? It is much smarter to keep a weapon in your hand than to toss it away." Belno explained, making Yuri, Yajima, and Ultear nod in agreement.

"Are you suggesting that this boy knows more than the first God?" Michello scoffs, making Ultear and Yajima roll their eyes, his useless addition to the conversation being overlooked by most of the council.

"Perhaps, but one doesn't bring their friends to jail with them," Siegrain commented making Org and Michello voice their agreements as well.

"Hmmm... Does everyone agree that Saint Dragneel will be pardoned if he defeats the Oracion Seis?" Gran Doma asked, curious to see if everyone agreed to the terms, especially since a third of them were okay with it in the first place.

And even the ever so quite Hogg voiced his agreement, making Gran Doma sigh.

"And while I personally do not agree with the sixths actions, I do understand the necessity of them, and because of that, he will engage the Oracion Seis in three days." Gran Doma commanded as he slammed the bottom of his staff on the ground, this time dispelling all thought projections.

"And what of his company? Does he get one or not?" Yuri asked making the room go silent, as everyone watched Gran Doma consider the oldest councilmen's question.

"If they slow him down, and if this is their choice, they can assist the Sixth, because the Oracion Seis is a risk that cannot be left to grow unkempt." Gran Doma replied making Siegrain sneer at the leader of the council, unseen by all but Yajima, making the old chef worry.

 **Natsu's PoV**

'Hopefully, she's not nearly as cranky today...' Natsu thought worriedly as he knocked on Porlyusica's door, having had decided to stop and check on Ur before heading back home to whatever mess his guests had left it in.

He waited a few minutes his mouth opening for a yawn as he turned to look up to the sky, hoping that his father would not be mad that he practically challenged the Celestial Spirit King.

Just as he was about to knock again he was hit on the head from an apple, the hight and trajectory suggesting that it has fallen, but the way the fruit had exploded on impact suggested otherwise.

"Good morning Porlyusica," Natau called out with a wave as he looked up towards the third-floor window of her tree home, unsurprised to see the cranky brunette in a simple sleeping tunic with her hair down as she glared at him.

"Haven't you ever heard not to disturb a woman's sleep?" Porlyusica complained as she disappeared back into her home, beginning to storm down the stairs to let Natsu in.

"Forgive me Porlyusica, I wanted to check up on Ur before I went to bed," Natsu replied loudly with a yawn, his exhaustion leading him to be unaware of the woman hiding downwind from him, preventing her scent from reaching his nose.

But Porlyusica deigned him no response, simply tearing the door open with a scowl planted firmly on her face as she let Natsu into her home.

Until she noticed how unsteady his gait was, his stride being longer on his left, and shorter on his right as he approached Ur's bed. And then she looked at his face, but this time she really looked. And she saw how his skin was slightly paled, with dark circles beginning to form under his eyes.

He was exhausted, but it was just that. He was slightly suffering from magical exhaustion, most likely from the entire guild war and healing everyone.

"Why do you never take care of yourself brat," Porlyusica commented with a hint of disappointment in her voice as she walked towards her medicine cabinet, grabbing a premixed elixir and walking towards Natsu, who was standing over Ur with a confused look on his face.

"I just, I don't understand why she hasn't woken up yet... Did we not save her properly? was it because I never died that she was never fully restored? What's going on," Natsu muttered under his breath as he gently rested his hand on her forehead, confused as to why she never woke up when her body was clearly functioning properly.

Her heart pumped blood, her reflexes and nerves seemed as fresh as ever. But still, she refused to wake up.

"You already did the impossible, you can't be expected to save them all," Porlyusica said in a surprisingly comforting fashion as she stopped by his side.

"I know, but this doesn't make sense. She shouldn't be under the effect of any spell, her body was pieced back together properly... I just don't get it." Natsu said as he turned to the healer more than three times his senior, remembering an entire week two years ago when he stood outside her door, training all day, and begging for her to teach him about medicine after he found his green flames...

"Then perhaps it's psychological, but you won't be able to help her unless you're healthy," Porlyuaica growled as she shoved the jar of thick, brown liquid in front of his face, her kindness back in its shell as she glared at the sheepish saint.

"Sorry! But it's not like I can just sit back and watch my Guild fall to the Phantom, I did what I had to do." Natau explained as he confidently removed the lid from the jar, allowing the disgusting, maneur like smell of the potion to permeate the air, making the Saint take a physical step back, before sending a glare towards the healer.

"I swear, you make this taste terrible on purpose," Natsu bemoaned as he tilted his head back, consuming the entire jar of revolting brown liquid, knowing it would help his magic container fill faster.

"It's because this shouldn't be a lifeline you stupid twit," Porylusica replied as she began to prepare some tea leaving Natsu standing there, mulling over what the woman said, knowing from experience she sometimes gave you the answers.

"But what does she mean by psychological..." Natsu pondered as he continued to stare at the woman, his curiosity getting the better of him as lit his hands in his classic, beautiful flame, before slowly and carefully moving his hand closer to her hand, curious if she would move it subconsciously.

And after a few seconds she did, her arm slowly, but surely being pushed up the bed, and away from Natsu's hand, leaving the man absolutely confused.

"I just don't get it..." Natsu muttered aloud before his nose caught onto a distinct scent, one he missed earlier because of it in with the forest, but now that she thought about it, it hasn't rained in a few days, not naturally at least.

"Juv, you out there? It's okay, I'm not mad," Natsu said with a gentle smile as he left the tree house, clearly being able to notice her presence now that he was looking for it, watching as she slowly peeked her head out from behind a true, a confused pout on her face as she continued to stare at the tree, the magic blocking Porylusica's home from her sight.

"But Natsu could not find it in himself to stay mad, remembering the hundreds of times he had followed Gildarts, Makarov or even Laxus without their consent simply because he was curious.

And so he exited the illusion, completely startling the bluenette as he appeared out of what seemed to be thin air like Aria was so famous for.

"Good morning Juv, how are you today?" Natsu asked with a smile as he walked towards the nervous bluenette, now laying on her back in the mossy grass, her large doe eyes watching his every movement.

"Goo-Good morning Natsu! Juvia is doing well," the bluenette replied softly as Natsu carefully pulled her to her feet unable to meet his eyes.

"Want to come see what I was doing?" Natsu offered kindly, having no hate nor irritation towards the cute bluenette who simply strived for love and affection.

Juvia simply nodded, her curled blue locks flowing over her shoulder like the water in the clearest of lakes, her eyes sparkling like the purest sapphire in the mid-morning sunlight.

"Just follow me, hold my hand okay?" Natsu said with a smile on his face as he held out his right hand, still too tired to be lovely.

The second Juvia's hand touched his she felt a spark shoot through her body, coursing through her body as if she was shot by lightning. But of course, Natsu was too exhausted to even notice as he leads her towards Porylusica's home, Natsu's hand in hers allowing her past the runes, allowing her to see the beauty of nature that the hag liked to call home.

* * *

And onto the Reviews!

Ridix- where have I been? Busy. I'm sorry I haven't been able to update in a while but unfortunately, a non-profit hobby like writing gets pushed back on my list of things to do. I just don't have the writing time I use to right now.

Lfdchamp- I do not intend to stop writing fanfiction. But as my life continues to pick up, my update times will become forced back. Sorry

Guest- I prefer to try and keep a more steady schedule for updates. I want you all to wake up Saturday and have something to look forward to other than partying ;)


	48. Promises Made

And Onto the Story!

"This way," Natsu said softly once she passed through the runes, his hand slipping out of hers as she slowed, taking in the beauty... Including the pinkette, his black-tipped cherry sakura hair practically glistening in the sunlight, his black vest hanging perfectly off his toned frame as the wraps on his arms continued to emphasize his muscular physique.

Juvia finally snapped out of her trance once she heard Natsu open the door, making her head shoot up to see Natsu standing at the door, a tired smile on his face as he waited for her, standing to the side of the doorway on the stone porch.

"Juvia is sorry," The bluenette muttered as she quickly walked towards the door, climbing the stone steps, and slowly walking past Natsu's outstretched arm holding the door, letting her walk in first.

Only to have a wooden broom head with stray bristles to pass through her body, swung by a very capable old woman with long pink hair, so close to Natsu's.

And so she made the only assumption possible, even going as far as to ignore the woman continually attempting to hit her with the broom.

"Are you... Is Natsu bringing Juvia to meet his mother?" The bluenette uttered, causing both the saint and the doctor to pause, their jaws agape and eyes wide at the water mage's question.

"No, you stupid brat, I'm the guild's healer!" Porlyuaica replied not even a minute later, dropping her broom in favor of attempting to strangle this aggravating girl, making Natsu sigh tiredly.

"Porlyusica, enough," Natsu said tiredly as a thing wall of translucent fire sprouted between the two women, and preventing the old woman from laying her hands on the rainmaker.

"Don't tell me what to do brat," Porlyusica bit back with a glare, her eyes narrowed on the bluenette, especially since they both knew she wasn't part of Fairy Tail.

"Why is she here?!" Porlyusica screeched, her tone violent but voice softer than expected, as she didn't want to hurt the sakura saint too much.

"Juvia followed me here, she's my friend, and I was hoping to ask her for advice on water magic, she is quite the expert," Natsu replied with a small, but tired smirk the bags under his eyes even more prominent, making the healer sigh.

But he wasn't aware of the effect his comment had on the bluenette, who was melting into a puddle of water, her pupils replaced by large pink hearts with her hands clasped in front of her chest, staring at Natsu giddily. 'Natsu,-sama believes that Juvia is a master of water! Natsu-sama needs Juvia's help, not of those... Those... Love Rivals! Juvia must get ahead!' The bluenette thought determinedly, making Porlyuaica look at the young adult weirdly, before sighing as she quickly realized what was going on here.

"What does Natsu-sama ask of Juvia!" The bluenette demanded, her eyes fierce and face strong as she ran to Natsu's side, before her eyes quickly caught the location of Natsu's gaze, her eyes widening when she saw the motionless, but the stunning woman on the table below them, resting carefully on a bed of blankets and straw.

"This is Gray's master... I tried to save her and I don't know what went wrong..." Natsu said as he turned to look at Juvia, her brows shifting together, confused as to why he needed her assistance when this was something clearly out of her element.

 **Gloria's PoV**

"What are the twelve Zodiac?" The former assistant asked curiously as she gave Loke a detailed once over, confused by the talk of caster and death.

"The twelve Zodiac are the twelve strongest Zodiac spirits, save for the king. They are the most prominent, and unique," Loke replied honestly, once again confusing the shirtless Gray, surprised but also slightly glad that he didn't attempt to flirt with the brunette.

"But what's a Zodiac Spirit?" Gloria asked confusedly as they continued to walk down the street, but this time heading towards their guilds grounds, with Mira having had placed all material orders, the last of her errands bring the permit office.

"A zodiac spirit is the magical embodiment of the stars, that can be called upon through keys, that unlock the door between the Spirit realm, and earthland. Every constellation and star has its own spirit, the more prominent, and larger being the Twelve Zodiac, and thus there is only one key per zodiac," Mira explained, making Leo smile, appreciating her knowledge, but after Natsu's impressive display it was obvious where she learned it all from.

"Wow... I never knew that magic was influenced by the stars themselves," Gloria said amazed as she looked towards the sky, before the cat in her arms began to stretch and move, the sun being so close to the apex of the sky.

"Mhm... Fish, nooo... Its a flying fish, noo-" Happy mumbled, making everyone present laugh when he moaned, answering the question as to what he dreamt of, his eyes beginning to flutter open, the unfamiliar smell making him jump out of Gloria's arms, his hand shooting towards his belt, and throwing one of those deadly shurikens's in a matter of seconds, as he finished waking up.

And her scream made his eyes shoot open, only to see Gray's hand placed in front of Gloria's neck, the deadly little throwing star caught in the middle of his palm, blood dripping down his hand onto the sidewalk making everyone look at Happy in shock.

"Oh no! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?!" The small blue cat shouted as his aera shot out of his back, shooting him towards Gray's hand and looking at his wound carefully.

"Yep, damn your fast," Gray mumbled, his teeth clenched in pain as he brought his injured hand in front of his face, using his other to quickly remove the bloody star from his hand, his ice magic flaring up and sealing the wound before another drop of blood could be expelled from his body.

"Happy! Why did you do that," Mira scolded as the blur cat flew into her arms, small tears rolling own his blur furry cheeks as he cried into the model's shoulder.

"I'm sorry! I didn't remember her smell and I thought..." Happy sobbed, making Gloria sigh as she turned to look at Gray, amazement in her eyes at just how fast Gray moved, his speed almost rivaling Natsu's in his attempt to save her.

"Thank you..." Gloria said as she looked at Gray, shocked her hand resting on his shoulder making the ice mage look at her.

"No problem, I'm just glad my hand got there in time," Gray said cooly, making Leo roll his eyes at Gray's failed attempt to be suave.

"Why did he do that! He could-" Gloria raged the second she had control of her fear, as she turned to rip at Happy, only to be stopped by Grays cold hand on her shoulder, the calamity in his eyes making her pause.

"All mages react differently to waking up in unknown locations, especially when they're being held," Gray explained softly, as he walked past the brunette, his hand sliding off her shoulder as he approached the sobbing cat, leaving Gloria even more confused than before.

"Perhaps I can explain, may I?" Leo offered kindly as he extended his arm to Gloria, making her nod as they continued on towards the guild.

 **Leo's PoV**

"Happy may be a cat, but that does not make him any less of a mage. You are aware of his relation to Natsu?" Leo asked, keeping a good one foot of space between them as they walked down the sidewalk towards the guild.

"I get that, but what would make him react so badly?" Gloria asked as she looked at the stellar spirit, still not too sure on how this all worked.

"Sometimes Happy would accompany Natsu on missions, or at least I think so anyway... Usually Happy would sit at the bar with Mira when Natsu was out, but sometimes they would go together as well," Leo explained before pausing, allowing Gloria to absorb what he was saying.

"I have no idea if anything happened, but some magic can have lasting effects. Nightmares, fear, and paranoia can last for decades because of a single spell, and Natsu generally took Wizard Saint, X-ranked missions, do you understand what type of things happen there?" Leo asked kindly, his hands in his pockets as they got nearer to the guild, the sight of ok being visible even from their distance as they walked through the loud, bumping street.

"I guess not, I never really considered that. Are you saying" Gloria asked, her jaw dropping as her mind reached a disturbing conclusion, only to be relieved when Leo waved her question off with a smile?

"Perhaps, some mages are even trained to react like that if they feel even the slightest bit threatened... But, I doubt it, I'm not sure if you noticed... But Natsu is very protective of his friends... I sure did..." Leo said, only for his voice to trail off, leaving Gloria confused. What did he mean that he noticed? Weren't they supposed to be friends?

 **Natsu's PoV**

"Do you think I made a mistake by trying to piece Ur back together?" Natsu asked as he looked Juvia in the eye, the shock on her face clear as she stared at Natsu, her mind not even processing his last question in her shock.

She knew he was strong, that was obvious by how he manhandled Phantoms S Class Mages. But to turn ice back into a woman is unbelievable. But why would he lie?

"Hey, Juv, are you in there?" Natsu said softly, a smile on his face as he gently tapped the cute bluenette on the nose, his heat snapping her out of her shock as she looked him in the eyes, blinking rapidly as she attempted to clear her head.

But she also didn't want to let Natsu down either.

"Juvia thinks it was a very risky move, with water magic is different. But, Juvia also believes that It was a risk Natsu-sama had to take, lest you revive her without a head," Juvia replied carefully as she looked down at the comatose woman on the table.

"I knew it... Do you think there's a chance she may never wake up?" Natsu asked, mad at himself for trying to play God, especially when using a new spell.

"Juvia thinks there's a chance, but Juvia is more curious about this iced Shell. If everyone who ever used the spell died, could there be a chance there are unrecorded side effects?" Juvia asked curiously, subconsciously paying with the Teri Teri bozu doll pinned to her lapel, her comment making both Porlyusica and Natsu's eyes shoot open in shock.

"Juv, you're amazing! I assumed that my HellFire flames would have rendered any other spell mute, but I think you might be onto something!" Natsu exclaimed excitedly as he pulled the water mage into a giant bear hug, making the woman blush before they disappeared in a flash of flames, making Porlyusica roll her eyes in annoyance.

Her home is going to smell like ash for the rest of the day.

By now, Fairy Tail was very accustomed to Natsu's favorite mode of transportation, so when a ball of fire shot towards the guild faster than some could even follow, they were still calm.

And when the fire stopped suddenly, before Makarov who was sitting on a barrel of beer under a tree, who raised a brow in curiosity when he saw Natsu had enveloped the introverted water mage in a bear hug.

"I think she solved it! Gramps, I think I know how to save Ur!" Natsu announced, his loud, cheerful voice carrying across the now flat plain, the guild having had cleared all the material from what use to be their main floor, with even all the iron logs off to the side, waiting for a metal scraper to come by and pick them up.

And everyone stopped moving.

"Wonderful news Natsu... And how would you go about that?" Makarov asked surprisingly calmly, almost as if he knew they would figure it out at some point.

"I need Warren, but first I need Ultear's permission too," Natsu answered, losing his excitement at Makarov's reaction, realizing that Makarov was madder at him than he originally thought.

"What about Loke!? Weren't you supposed to look for him?" Nab called out as everyone stopped what they were doing and approached the two saints, making Juvia practically curl into Natsu, uncomfortable because of the number of people.

"Oh... yeah! He's okay... See?" Natsu said, his keen nose picking up on the two figures approaching in the distance as he pointed towards the city.

And sure enough, you could just barely see Locke's iconic carrot hair, now more untamed than ever, with Gloria at his side, making everyone rushes towards the two, curious as to why Loki had disappeared.

"Well Done Natsu... And where is Gajeel?" Makarov asked curiously, as he took another sip of beer, making Juvia's eyes light up as she turned to Natsu, hoping for good news, only for her happiness to deflate because of the expression on his face.

The Sakura Saint turned somber, no longer having a smile on his face as he stared at his hand.

"He just needs some time to cool off," Natsu answered conflicted, making Makarov sigh.

Both of them had hoped they would be able to help Gajeel where Jose could not.

And it seems as if that plan was going down the drain, along with Juvia's smile.

"Is Gajeel-san alright?" Juvia asked, a frown on her face as she looked up at Natsu, making him sigh.

"He's okay, he got mad when he learned of my Stellar Keys," Natsu said disappointed, having had hoped his display of knowledge in their duel barely two days prior would have convinced him to listen. But it would seem not.

"Is Gajeel-san coming back Natsu-sama?" Juvia asked with a depressed look on her face, making Natsu frown.

"I hope so Juv, I really do," Natsu replied as he put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in for a half hug before releasing her and turning his attention to Makarov.

"Where is Warren? I-" Natsu began only to be cut off by an irate Makarov.

"Enough Natsu. Go home and rest, It's condition won't change that much in a day." Makarov ordered, making Natsu sigh.

"Juvia, darling, can you make sure he gets home for me?" Makarov asked, a kind smile on his face as he looked at the water maiden, making the bluenette nod determinedly, as Natsu rolled his eyes.

"If Mira comes by, and you at least tell her where I am?" Natsu asked, be dragged away by an annoyed Juvia, making the old man laugh aloud at his grandson's predicament, glad he wasn't in the slayer's position.

 **Loki's PoV**

"It looks like they see me," Loki said with a smile on his face, as they watched a horde of fairies run towards them, meeting them halfway while Gloria watched in a little amazement... And jealousy.

"This is why Fairy Tail beat Phantom Lord because we're a family. And a family protects their own." Loki said with a smile as they continued to walk towards the guild, even as they faced a horde of mages.

"Must be lucky," Gloria said, a fake smile on her face as she attempted to hide her jealousy, having had only had one person she could ever call family.

"Maybe you should go talk to the Master, you may not be a mage but I am sure he could help you find some work, like I said, A fairy looks out for its own," Loki said, making Gloria stop in amazement as he faced down his guildmates with open arms, as they enveloped him in a large group hug, with some like Laki, Alzack, Bisca, Macao and Wakaba hanging back.

"Maybe I should," Gloria said with a small smile as she looked over towards the small old man, before beginning to make her way over.

 **Ultear's PoV**

"What are you doing," The time mage hissed as she slammed a door closed, her angry eyes staring down the man behind his desk.

"Ultear, what a pleasant surprise, please, come in," Siegrain said sarcastically, a pleasant smile on his face as he gestured towards the nice, modern chair in front of his desk, unafraid as the woman stomped over.

"Why are you constantly trying to sabotage Saint Dragneel, you told me that you could handle him?!" Ultear hissed, doing a complete one-eighty from her standpoint during the meeting.

"Oh please, there's a reason dragons are extinct. But that fire of his is quite troublesome." Siegrain replied boldly, making Ultear internally roll her eyes, amazed that he thought he could handle Natsu Dragneel.

"If it can do as you say, he can destroy the tower of heaven, and that is not an option," Siegrain replied, his tone now sharp and violent, threatening Ultear to tell the truth.

"You saw what he did to Deliora... And unfortunately... You're correct," Ultear replied with a sigh as she fell into the chair before the blue haired snake, somehow retaining her grace as she did so.

"What are we going to do? Without the tower of heaven, we're not going to be able to revive Zeref."

"It takes a dragon slayer to take down a dragon," Siegrain replied cryptically, making Ultear's eyes shoot open in shock as she realized his plan.

He was using the Oracion Seis to take Natsu out. But how?

"You do realize that battle is now in Natsu's favor? Especially if his guildmates were to assist him," Ultear replied, doing her best to quell the surprising amount of fear in her heart as she attempted to ascertain his true plan.

"I'm aware, which is why I had my pawns rush the construction. The tower of heaven is now complete. An entire week, no breaks, no food. Hell, I even forced cloak to raid several villages across Fiore! Collecting me enough slaves to finish the tower..." Siegrain said, a smile finally breaking out on his face, the insanity in his eyes making Ultear's eyes almost widen in fear.

He was a man with power, but without rules or restrictions. And that was the scariest type of person.

"And you just tell me now?!" Ultear's practically screams in frustration, annoyed not only at herself but at Jellal for being so... So...

Gah!

"Forgive me, you seemed a tad busy on Galina, watching your mother die... I am really quite curious how you were able to convince Natsu Dragneel to take such a risk? Perhaps it was..." Siegrain or Jellal asks, the question on his face, but the tone carried in his voice making Ultear's want to scream and claw his eyes out as he looked over her body suggestively.

"I would do no such thing! And he was easy to trick... He's was unable to kill my mother, but had to kill the demon to complete the test... I just hand," Ultear's said through gritted teeth, still wanting to tackle Jellal for even suggesting such a thing.

Even though she wouldn't mind it too much.

"That's interesting... Anything else Saint Dragneel is too afraid to do?" Siegrain asks, his cruel, intellectual mind already preparing a multitude of fail-safes and traps, for the fire dragon slayer, making Ultear's want to roll her eyes.

There was a very good chance, that Natsu would be able to fight his way out of whatever he had planned. But, it was not like Jellal was usually this overconfident, and that made Ultear worry.

"Not a thing. He'll beat you an inch then bring you in," Ultear's said as she looked Jellal in the eyes.

"And that begins the question, what's your plan?" Ultear's asked making Siegrain begin to laugh, actually throwing his head back in amusement, causing Ultear's to clench her hands in anger.

"Oh no, I'm not too sure where your loyalties lie anymore. Not after you edited the lacrimation recording you presented council." Jellal said, no longer laughing, as he glared at Ultear, his iconic golden magic flaring around his body for a split second.

But Ultear her eyes, not in the slightest intimidated, or afraid of his little display, which while impressive, was like child's play compared to Deliora... And by default Natsu, while he's in dragon force.

But to his credit, his strength was practically halved due to his advanced thought projection that is running the tower of heaven, even though it was more like a clone.

And that's what had Ultear worried, she didn't have a good grasp on his power, unaware as to how strong he really was, since he could transfer his power over, leaving him a practical wild card on his own.

"Oh yes, I noticed you're little handy work. Not bad, I almost didn't notice it if not for one thing... Why on earth would you let Gray Fullbuster, a man you hate hold responsibility for your mother's resurrection?" Jellal said, a sinister grin on his face as he slowly stood up in his chair, before slamming his palms upon his desk, the rich walnut frame cracking under the pressure he exerted on it as he glared down at Ultear.

"And so Ultear, I'm only going to ask once... What is it that you're not telling me?" Jellal bit out as he glared down at the woman, who gritted her teeth, annoyed, and partially worried as to how she was going to talk her way out of this one.

 **Natsu's PoV**

"Let's see what type of a mess they left this place in," Natsu muttered softly as he opened the door to his home, tired, but amused that Juvia refused to even step onto his porch, rather choosing to just stand at the bottom of the steps and watch in awe as he walked into his home, doing a quick sweep before turning back to look at Juvia, a gentle smile on his face as he beckoned her inside.

Juvia frantically ran forward, almost stumbling on the steps as she ran inside, her eyes wide as she looked around his fairly lavish, but spartan home.

"Welcome to the dragons den!" Natsu declared half-heartedly, attempt To be dramatic but too tired to even raise his arms to the sky, as she looked around.

The halls were empty and clean, with different picture frames scattering his walls, with photos and even broken weapons. They were simple mementos, those small little things that Natsu would rather not forget, or simply taking someone's weapon for the fun of it. Because they can't use it in jail.

There was a fairly grand staircase not even ten feet from the door, twisting as it ascended, leading to the second floor. The floors in the common area were a gray stained hard maple, which matched the railing.

But other than the walls, the halls were empty, with only a nice, stitched mat at the door to keep the flooring clean.

"We'll come on in, I need to grab a snack," Natsu said with a small smile, making the bluenette realize that he had walked under the stairs and towards what she assumed to be a kitchen, based off of his statement.

"Juvia was requested to ensure you rest, Juvia will make your food!" The bluenette announced with hearts in her eyes as she ran past Natsu into the kitchen, wishing to win the saint over with her cooking.

"Thanks Juv, that *yawn* means a lot," Natsu said as he sluggishly followed her into his home, not even noticing that his kitchen was actually cleaner than when he left as he walked past into his living room, his tired feet not stepping in carpet as he collapsed onto the couch in his living room, silently thanking Mira for helping him furnish his house... And for making him buy a house... Otherwise, he could be sleeping in a hammock! What a joke.

"Is there anything Natsu-sama would like Juvia to make?" The bluenette asked, her voice slightly muffled as she looked through his fridge, her mind already thinking about what she could prepare with eggs, raw beef, an assortment of fruits and vegetables, and an entire freezer full of fish.

"It's okay Juv, just makes whatever is easiest," Natsu said as he opened his eyes to look at the bluenette, only for them to shoot open in shock, seeing that she had already laid her jacket over a chair, and had begun cutting some peppers, and onions on the island.

She was wearing a simple white button up shirt, with a thick green collar, her Teru Teri Bizu doll still affixed on her shirt as she stared down at the pepper she was cutting, making sure to cut equal strips. She had a simple blue skirt, going down to just above her knees, that buggered her figure.

And for once Natsu wasn't thinking about the door, his jaw lowering as he watched Juvia absently raise her right arm, having had set the knife down to brush the hair out of her face, and over her shoulder.

Thus catching Natsu's gaze, and her face lit up worse than the mountain on Galina.

"Sorry!" Natsu said immediately, now feeling slightly rejuvenated if only from the adrenaline of being caught staring at a woman that is not his girlfriend.

"It's okay... Does Natsu-sama have any rice noodles Juvia could use?" Juvia asked, her face still enveloped by a blush redder than Erza's hair as she immediately looked back at the pepper, a shaky hand grabbing the knife as she attempted to keep preparing his meal, trying to ignore the bubbling happiness in her chest that threatened to spill out.

Because while she may have bee flustered, she was also very happy that Natsu was staring at her because it meant that if anything, she had a chance.

"Yeah.. umm. Here, let me, I don't know where Mira keep this stuff," Natsu said softly as he stood up before joining the bluenette in the kitchen, remembering all the times he would come home, only to find a freshly stocked fridge and a meal with a note on it that always made him smile.

But he missed the frown that traveled across Juvia porcelain skin before she shook her head and went back to slicing the pepper.

 **Mira's PoV**

"ahh, Mira, how was the lawyer's office?" Makarov shouted with a grin from atop the makeshift bar in the basement, a mug of beer still being nursed nu his hands making the model sigh, if in amused annoyance.

"They were as shocked as always were master. Why must you always use my public fame like that?" Mira asked as she began to walk towards him with Gray and Gloria in tow, making Makarov's face harden as he looked the ice mage in the eyes.

"It's funny, there was a break in at a research facility in Crocus, right around the same time you went out... That can't be a coincidence can it?" Makarov asked softly as he took a sip of beer, making Gray sigh, knowing his master knew what happened.

"To be fair master, Gray was doing the right thing. Jude had been blackmailing Gloria with the treatment of her friend, forcing her to keep his secrets," Mira said softly making Makarov nod in sadness, frustrated that everyone in Fiore with even a semblance of power seemed to Be cruel or corrupt.

"I see... And where is this friend now, is there any treatment that needs to be continued?" Makarov asks with a sigh making Gray grin, while Gloria's jaw dropped in shock.

"How are you okay with this? You could all get in lots of trouble and it's my fault." Gloria said shocked as she stared the old man in the eyes who just smiled.

"Fairy tail has never cared about rules when it comes to doing the right thing," Makarov said as he then looked at Mira, shocked that she hasn't gone behind the bar yet.

"Thanks, gramps, do you know where Natsu-" Gray began to ask, only for both Mira and Makarov to shout no at the same time, drawing everyone's attention as the guild quieted down.

"I asked Juvia to take Natsu home to rest, and he's not supposed to do much work until tomorrow. You may go ask Shiko or even Porlyusica for help if need be but I'd rather you let Natsu rest until needed," Makarov said, his voice soft and tone rough projecting through the entire guildhall go silent for an entire minute.

"...okay do you know where Shiko is?" Gray asked as he turned his head, watching Mira leave the guild, most likely heading towards Natsu, worried for her boyfriend if Makarov forced him to rest.

"I believe Erza left with Shiko and Sherry to register them for Fairy Hills," Makarov said with a smirk, making Gray's eyes shoot open in shock.

"But Sherry isn't-" Gray refuted, only to be cut off by Makarov.

"She is now," the old man said with a shit eating grin, proud that Natsu had not only found strong mages but also spent the time to help them recover and heal mentally.

"...I'm actually kind of surprised about that one... Lyon really fucked up," Gray said softly as he raised his hand to his face, rubbing his eyes tiredly, and ignoring the burning in his eyes, as he remembered the fight he had, and how much he had lost a man he once saw as a brother.

"It's unfortunate when a child his age is so deluded... However, on another note, Natsu believes he has an idea as to why Ur has not wakened up yet," Makarov comments, a glint in his eye as he saw Gray's head shoot up, his eyes wide in excitement as he looked at the calm old man.

Until he remembered what Makarov said earlier.

"And I'm assuming I'm not allowed to bother him about it?" Gray said with a sigh as he ran his hand through his spiky hair, unaware that Gloria's eyes were following his every movement.

"As long as Natsu is tired, yes," Makarov said with a smirk, only barely hidden by the mug, he held in both hands.

"You're a terrible old man," Gray said with a smirk as he turned around, his eyes searching through every table, and every crowd, looking for a very specific person, before turning back to Gloria.

"Wait, what do you mean? Isn't it kind of him that he's giving Natsu a break?" Gloria asked worriedly, having had secretly hoped that her friend would already have been seen by now, and finally, finally get some good news. Anything that would give her some hope that she may wake up once more.

"No, no its not. Seems like the Old man is still quite annoyed with the lame brain. Wait here for a second please?" Gray said, a gentle, but calm look on his face as he turned to Gloria, disappearing into the crowd the second Gloria nodded her head, leaving her alone with the perverted old man.

And a bead of sweat rolled down the back of her neck.

 **Jellal's PoV**

"Oh please, the council couldn't have known I was there. And it wasn't Gray who froze the water back into the ice... It was me, that fool couldn't even make ice for my drinks," Ultear said calmly, making Jellal's glare hardened.

"That's actually quite interesting because when I went to review the tape of Lyon's interrogation, he stated that Gray matched him spell for spell, even overpowering his Ice Dragon creation, his strongest spell. And when he was tested for which cell block to be in... He was ranked as an S-Class Mage. So how is Gray not strong enough to freeze ice." Jellal questioned as he straightened up, walked around his desk and began pacing around behind Ultear.

"Strength does not equal ability, you know that, I know that-" Ultear began to explain, only to be cut off by a furious Jellal who shot towards Ultear, a golden aura enveloping his body for barely more than a millisecond before he was on top of her, his hands clenching the armrests of the chair, and his face less than two inches from hers, baring his teeth in anger.

"Stop LYING! I swear to God if you don't tell me the truth, right now, I can promise you that you won't ever be able to see your mother regain consciousness ever again." Jellal bites out as he stares her in the eyes, unaware of the mistake he just made, his anger and confidence outweighing his rationale.

An explosion of ice emanated from where Ultear was sitting, sending Jellal shooting back a few feet before he flipped over, his hand and feet sliding across the floor until he nudged the door, leaving Jellal staring angrily at the spot where the guest chair used to sit, now a mess of splintered wood and ice shards, but Ultear was nowhere to be found.

Until Jellal noticed a presence behind him, as a blade made completely out of ice was pressed against his throat.

"I swear to the heavens above the earth, if you ever, _ever,_ threaten my mother's life again, I won't just kill you. I will sit back and watch as everything you worked for is burnt to ash. As all your dreams of reaching heaven are torn from the sky, your little precious tower along with it. And when finally, you're left beaten and broken, with nothing left to live for... I'll force you to live." Ultear threatened, the blade on his neck drawing blood, his feet and arms frozen to the ground, just enough that she could slit his throat before he could ever consider escaping.

"So you're going to let your little boy toy do all your dirty work?" Jellal asked with a small laugh as he stayed on one knee, not even worried about the knife... which made Ultear believe that this may have been his advanced protection.

And that, in and out of itself was what fueled Ultear's doubt on whether or not the man could be defeated. Not by his strength, but by his intelligence. She has lost count of how many different magics he knew. And no matter how close she kept him, she knew nothing more than if she stayed afar.

"No, I'll just push him in the right direction so that he discovers the little plan you have for Scarlet..." Ultear whispered in his ear before her body lost its color, diluting to a statue of pure pink ice, before crumbling to shards.

But Jellal was not furious, no, chortles and laughs began to roll out of his throat, starting off quiet and low pitched, but growing in volume as he sat up straight, now laughing maniacally in the empty room, watching as it began to repair itself.

Ultear's parting gift.

 **Juvia's PoV**

"What happened next Natsu-sama?" Juvia asked with a smile on her face as she tossed the egg noodles into the large frying pan, bought no doubt by Mira in her attempt to satiate Natsu's dragon-like hunger, entertained by one of Natsu's stories.

"So I quietly climb a tree, being sure to keep an eye on the messenger I was following, watching them as they cautiously looked around, before continuing on their path. And as I-" Natsu continued, only to trail off, his nose now in the air, his ears twitching ever so slightly.

But Juvia was not worried by this, having had spent copious amounts of time with another dragon slayer.

And then she heard the door open.

"Natsu, Juvia, are you home?" A gentle feminine voice called out, making a smile bloom on Natsu's face, and unknowingly cause Juvia's own heart to sink, upset that it seemed that no matter what she did, Mira would always be more important. Because she recognized the smile on his face, not the voice that called out to them.

"We're in the kitchen Mira, I was just telling Juvia about that courier interception mission I went on," Natsu called out with a smile, and Juvia watched him from the corner of her eyes, expecting him to stand up and walk towards his beloved.

But he didn't, and she felt hope.

"So, as I was saying, I took a step on the thick branch, preparing to jump into the next tree, only for the branch I was standing on to completely snap off at the trunk, completely catching me off guard!" Natsu exclaimed, his eyes drifting towards the model who entered the room but continuing on with his story.

"And I began to fall, hitting every branch on the way down like a Plinko machine, breaking every branch I hit until I was stuck in this huge mess of broken branches on the ground," Natsu said as Mira walked towards him, a gentle smile on her face as she stood behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her chin on his shoulder before planting a kiss on his cheek and taking the island stool to his right.

"And the guy walked over, laughing as he pulled a dagger from his belt, not even deeming me worthy of summoning his magic. He approached my pinned down the body, intending to slit my throat before continuing on with his route, and so I waited. I waited, ever so carefully as he approached, waiting until he was kneeling in front of my body, raising the knife, and-" Natsu explained, pausing dramatically while Mira rolled her eyes.

This was one of the least pleasurable traits Natsu had learned from his second adopted father. By golly did Gildarts love to tell stories. But the smile on his face as he explained his past experiences is what allowed Mira to tolerate it, glad he was happy.

At this point, however, Juvia was almost on her knees due to the suspense, her lack of social behavior making this one of the best stories she had ever heard. And Mira thought it was cute how excited she got, the wide-eyed open-mouthed expression on her face so endearing, and made Mira just want to get to know this woman more.

"And I let out a small explosion of flames, being careful to control the heat of the flames, lest I burn the man. He was completely caught off guard, getting completely close-lined by one of the tree branches, the dagger flying out of his hands and sticking in the dirt as his back fell to the ground, now held down by the large branch holding his shoulders and neck down. And as he tried to lift the branch, I struck, my hand striking the man in the temple and rendering him unconscious before he even had a chance to fight back." Natsu explained dramatically, making Mira smile as the model watched Juvia's jaw drop in awe at such a wonderful plan.

"And then, of course, I took the information, and interrupted the meeting, and then later took down the Dark Guild Zaxsa, one of Grimoire Heart's subsidiaries," Natsu explained nonchalantly, displaying a big part of his personality just by how he told the story.

He loved attention and found boring details almost inconsequential, only finding combat or tense situations interesting enough to retell.

"Natsu-sama, I had no idea you had singlehandedly eliminated dark guilds on your own," Juvia said in awe as she went back to cooking, having had turned the heat down as Natsu finished his story, and that it had no part in the fact that she wanted to keep an eye on Mira at all times so that she couldn't touch her beloved. No, it had nothing to do with that.

"Yeah, it's actually not something the council wants public, that's why none of you ever heard of it," Natsu said with a shrug, his hand raising to his face in an attempt to stifle a sigh, only to make Mira roll her eyes at her boyfriend's stubbornness. But she also knew there was no way she could convince him to go to bed when he had someone new to talk to. Especially a woman as beautiful as Juvia, not that she was sure Natsu realized it.

"Then should you not have told Juvia Natsu-sama?" Juvia asks as she takes the simple stir fry off the burner, placing the wok to the side as she turned around, about to ask for plates, only to see Mira behind her, holding three large plates in her hand with a smile on her face.

"Thanks for cooking for my idiot over there, he always works himself too hard, trying to keep everyone happy he forgets he has his own limitations," Mira said in a whisper, as she laid the plates out on the island a foot and a half across from Natsu, safely on the edge of the island directly behind Juvia, letting her fill the plates.

But of course the portions weren't equal, with Natsu having more than three-quarters of the entire meal, which could probably feed ten, and her heart clenched in her chest when she saw Natsu's eyes light up, and meet her own.

"Thanks, Juv! I hope you can stay with us since you spent so much time making this for me!" Natsu said with a smile on his face as Mira and Juvia both sat across from the sakura saint, confusing Juvia since she thought her love rival would take this time as an opportunity to set her stakes.

"J-Juvia would love to!" Juvia says excitedly as she nervously sits on the stool beside Mirajane, looking down at her own body, feeling self-conscious beside a nationally renowned model.

"So, Juvia. Tell us about yourself," Mira asked with an oddly calculative look in her eyes as she turned to look at Juvia, making the rain woman feel small like she was being interrogated. But of course, the ever oblivious Natsu Dragneel was too focused on food to realize she was currently being interviewed.

 **Ultear's PoV**

"I really hope this works..." Ultear muttered with a sigh as she entered a dark alley in an unknown part of Fiore, wearing a large, dark black cloak.

But her entrance to the alley was not seen, since she sent an Ice clone to continue down the street, completely hiding her presence in the alley entirely as she approached a manhole cover, prompting her to sigh as she continued forward, stepping on the cover as she activated the hidden seal embedded in the cover, disappearing from the alley in an instant, the cover flipping and landing upside down, the sound attracted the attention of a nearby shop owner who poked his head out the back door of an adjacent building, looking around curiosuly before dipping back in, seeing no sign of action.

She reappeared seconds later in a dark room, with only a single, hanging light lacrimation bestowing light upon the musty room, a circle of light surrounding her body as the cloak reduced into dust, revealing Ultear Milkovich in her True glory.

And as always, she was stunning.

She was wearing a simple, but stunning purple kimono with white trim that reached the middle of her shin. Her hair consisted of thick Bangs framing her face with two low ponytails protruding from the bottom of her head point downwards. There was a slit that revealed plenty cleavage, but time allowing her proper movement. There was a black and red band wrapped around her waist, that matched the red lipstick she wore.

She began to walk into the darkness, u hindered or afraid as she disappeared from light, almost moving on instinct as she quickly, and efficiently made her way through the dark, stepping over specific tiles and avoiding horizontal levers as if she were moving off of her memory alone.

Which she in fact was.

This was Daedalus' labyrinth, or so they called it. Alive, and constantly moving, one of the many complicated failsafe that prevented anyone from every determining their true location.

And after an astounding forty minutes of walking through complete and utter darkness, Ultear finally escaped the living labyrinth, powered by a magic lost to the annals of time, and repurposed by master Hades, standing on a very visible magic circle, the only magic permitted to stay active except the maze itself.

It was the Grimoire Heart emblem, repurposed as a magic circle. The thorny outline of the heart glowing red as she stepped on, before she disappeared once more, this time appearing inside a lavish, rustic stayed hallway, the walls covered in red oak paneling, and floors a dark maple.

She was instantly greeted by a very tall man blocking the narrow hallway. He stood, about six foot seven, and well defined. It was clear by the definition in his neck, and the biceps crossed over his chest, that he was very, very strong.

He had his hair tied up in a tail on top of his head, with a green plastic tube shrunken onto it, making it look more like an alien probe and less of a ponytail.

He was wearing a purple yukata, with a large magenta belt going around his waist. The front of the yukata was clipped tight with magenta buckles that emphasized his broad shoulders, slim waist, and firm chest.

There was a white symbol emblazoned on his yukata, a white contrasting Grimoire Heart symbol hidden.

"Master Hades was very surprised to see that you, of all people. The leader of the Kin had to use an escape pad..." Bluenote said in a monotone as he turned his body to the side, no longer blocking the entrance way, and prompting Ultear to briskly walk past him, her kimono waving slightly at her pace that Bluenote easily matched.

"This is very important news, that I felt pertinent for Master Hades to learn immediately," Ultear commented as she looked back, a stern look on her face as she approached a door, opening it and revealing a larger, wider hallway, lined completely with doors periodically spaced every six feet.

"And what could be so important that you risk using one of the last nine seals scattered across Fiore?" Bluenote asks, somehow sounding condescending while maintaining a monotone.

"That's not for your ears. You may be the advisor to the others but I _do not_ report to you." Ultear bit out as she approached a solitary black door. It was different from all the others, not just by color or material, but because of the turnkey lock it used, and in a world of magic, such a thing was unheard of.

But only nine People had a key to that door. And while it could be broken down fairly easily, it just made a statement of trust.

Ultear's hand rose to the door, a key instantly beginning to build itself in her hand, as she began to insert it even when it was completed, the duty flying out of her sleeve into the lock as she turned the key and the door opened.

Revealing a pine staircase, painted a dark black, that lead up through the entire building, but more importantly, to the top floor, something restricted to all but those 9.

"Perhaps, and you may be right. But know I will find out eventually." Bluenote says as he stalks away, leaving Ultear alone in the long staircase as the door closed behind her.

 **Master Hades PoV**

"Ultear... What is so important that you leave your post, with the possibility of scrutiny to come and talk to me," The old, capable man asks the second he hears the door close from his large chair in the middle of the top decks, his view through the windows being stars, but in constant movement, never resting.

"Master much has happened in the past weeks. The most troubling being Deliora's defeat." Ultear begins with a bow, lowering her forehead till it touches the floor before her, waiting until he let her rise from that position.

"Interesting, what is so worried one that it risks your position in the council?" Hades asks, his chair turned around to look at Ultear.

The man himself was revealed to be wearing a copper tone vikingesque hemlet With two sharp blade like steel horns protruding from both sides with a small blackfin on top. He was wearing a large black cloak that covered the six foot three man from shoulder to toe, with a layered shoulder design, the leather doubling as a guard.

His long white hair cascaded down the bottom of this ribs, with his beard is long enough to reach his mid-thigh. He wore a simple, guests long sleeve maroon shirt, with thick adamantine bracers covering his entire forearm, and a pair of cacky pants, the bottom hem having a flame design.

"Because the man who destroyed Deliora is now being sent after the Oracion Seis in two days master. But it gets worse." Ultear explains as she rose from her kneeling position, her eyes meeting Hades' single one.

"There are no remains... Which leads believe that Deliora may still exist, just no longer active," Ultear continues making Hades' eye widen for a split second before it narrowed.

"And so you risked everything just to tell me this? Without proof?" Hades asked deadly edge to his tone followed by a large flare of magic felt everywhere throughout this airship type vehicle they were inside.

"Also.. the R-Tower is complete. Which is why I have come to you. I know that Meredy is currently off duty, having had completed her earlier assignment. I have come to ask for you to let her track Deliora down, as I keep my focus on the R-Tower and the council." Ultear proposes making Hades' bring his right arm to his mouth in consideration as he mulled over her request before his eye snapped open.

"So that's has nothing to do with your mother's resurrection, and her inability to achieve consciousness?" Hades asked as he looked at the woman, the hardening on her face at the mention of the woman's mother being more than enough to prove she was against it. But he was also too arrogant to believe she could be playing him.

"Impossible, we both know the effects of iced Shell cannot alter or reverted. But even so, the world is better off without a selfish, slutty bitch like her walking around," a cold faced Ultear responds making Hades' smile, aware that she was completely lying to him. But fortunately, that lie was enough to reprimand his second best fighter.

Yet.

"Perhaps... But don't let that little distraction inhibit your work any further... Or I shall have her terminated, and this time it will be permanent." Hades replied as he looked at Ultear, relishing in the way her eyes widened ever so slightly, and by the way her hands clenched at her sides.

"And I agree, anyone with the possession of the immortal demon is a large threat, especially by someone strong enough to defeat it. I shall have Merudy look into its disposal. Now begone," Hades commanded as his large chair turned, allowing him the stars in the sky as Ultear quickly bowed before quickly leaving the room, and disappearing down the stairs towards the third floor, the Level of purgatory, and home to the kin.

 **Merudy's PoV**

Metudy's room, in essence, was an of her personality. The walls were a dull magenta, as to not reflect light too much, but also contrasted with the white trim and ceiling.

Her walls were covered with a variety of posters and pictures, of anything from something she found cute to pictures of her and Ultear. But that didn't mean they were all hung haphazardly. Every picture or poster was perfectly level, and everything had a good centimeter gap between it, displaying her cold, calculated side.

Her floor was covered in a vibrant, pink rug, which was so soft it felt as if she was walking on clouds, something she was still technically doing based off of her location in the airship, and this represented her childish nature.

Her bed still used up about half of the room, a large king covered in a plethora animals and pillows, all and making it impossible to tell where pillows started and stuffies ended. Which is where you could find the woman herself, buried under it all with only her bubblegum pink hair visible as she laid there, enjoying the weightless feeling as she enjoyed the music playing on her lacrima pods.

Until she recognized the magic presence outside the door, causing her to shoot out of the mess, dozens of pillows flying everywhere as she ran towards the door, excited to see her big sister.

That was until she opened the door and looked Ultear in the eyes, making her smile fade as her face hardened, preparing herself for any and all news Ultear could deliver.

"I need to come in, please... I know you're at rest but I need your help. I need you to go to Magnolia and watch over my mother." Ultear explained making Merduy's eyes shoot open in shock, knowing quite well what had happened tongue surrogate mother.

And that just left her even more confused.

* * *

And to address the people!

I am in dire need of a beta reader, and if any are interested pleasr let me know.


	49. Awake at Last

And Onto the Story!

 **Ultear's PoV**

"Say what now?! Ultear, you told me she had died to seal Deliora away?" Merudy asked in shock as she tugged her older sister over to her bed by her hands, both of them sitting on the foot of her bed, the only part not entirely covered stuffed animals and pillows.

But the part that scared Merudy the most, was not the words her sister spoke, or even the look of grief on her face. But how broken she looked, her eyes overfilled with tears, lacking the usual pale warmth in her cheeks... Ever since Ultear had found her in a burning village, she had never seen her big sister cry.

"She did, and I thought that I was going to be able to finally say by and let go on Galuna island... But he brought her back. He saw through my disguise, tore down my walls, and gave me the best gift possible all without asking anything in return!" Ultear ranted, finally letting everything loose with the one person she truly trusted.

This person, who was beyond confused as to who she was talking about.

"Woah, woah, woah... 'Tear, cmon, who are you talking about?" Merudy asked in surprise as she pressed her small hands over Ultear's mouth, preventing her from saying anything further and confuse the pink haired mage any further. But, Ultear was already used to Merudy's childish mind, that was incapable of focusing on anything for a long period of time.

"Natsu Dragneel, The Fire Dragon Prince, the sixth wizard saint," Ultear said quietly, slightly embarrassed that this pink haired mage had been such a constant in her mind recently, even so much that she had been considering turning on Jellal in an attempt to make it up to get closer to him.

"Woah, woah, woah. Wait for a second here, The Natsu Dragneel?" Merudy said, a cute blush on her cheeks as her pupils dilated, making Ultear smirk, completely aware as to how Merudy felt about the Sakura Saint.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. Eaaa!" Merudy squealed as she bounced up and down on the bed before crashing down in the mountain of stuffies on her back as Ultear watched, a small smile on her face as she watched her younger sister fangirl over her celebrity crush.

And she continued to fangirl for the next three minutes, as the older sister watched very amused, and feeling the weight on her mind slightly lessen as she watched her sister finally calmed down.

"SO he really is all they say he is huh. Handsome, kind, and smart?" Merudy asked, her cheeks flushed as she sat up and looked at Ultear, clutching a red dragon plushy to her bountiful chest, as she struggled to look Ultear in the eyes.

"Well, I wouldn't really say smart. He's honestly a complete idiot when it comes to everything but magic, but it's all so very endearing." Ultear explained, a small blush on her own cheeks making Merudy smile, realizing they may have something else in common.

Until she remembered what had sparked this entire conversation in the first place.

"Wait... so how on earth did he revive Ur?" Merudy asked softly, as she unwrapped her left arm and held it out to Ultear, and holding her right hand.

And the Ultear showed her the entire recording, from when Natsu had first started talking to Ultear in the cave until Deliora had been obliterated.

 **Natsu's PoV**

"Ugh, there's someone at the door," Natsu said with a sigh, his chopsticks less than an inch from his mouth, his voice interrupting the two women's conversation, but not rudely.

"Who is it?" Mira asked, partially worried that the council meeting was over and they were here to incarcerate Natsu.

"Icicle pricks for sure, but he's not alone... Cana? Maybe Gloria and... Wait... Are that Romeo and Macao?" Natsu answers, pausing to strain his ears, and nose, while Mira and Juvia remained silent, understanding why he stuck his nose in the air and sniffed.

"But there's one scent I definitely don't recognize..." Natsu said as he gently stood up, leaving Juvia and Mira at his island before he made his way out of the kitchen towards the front door, leaving both women in a tense silence.

There was another knock on the door, but this time accompanied by a voice.

"C'mon flame brain, Master told us you were here, let us in!" Gray complained from the other side of the door, very muffled.

"Gray he's tired, give him a break," a feminine voice scolded, confirming Gloria's presence as Natsu reached the door.

"Yeah yeah, keep your shirt on, oh wait," Natsu said, a tried smirk on his face as he pulled open the door, meeting Gray's eyes first before trailing to the ice mages cheat, poking at the man for having stripped, again.

Until he saw the woman in his arms, her unconscious state instantly garnering his attention.

"Is this her?" Natsu asks quietly, as he turns to look at Gloria, absently noticing both Macao's and Romeo's presence, their presence in its entirety now making sense.

"Yep, please, please tell me you can help her," Gloria said in a small voice, her eyes catching sight of both Mira and Juvia who were approaching the door quietly, making Cana smirk as she locked eyes with the model, who pouted in annoyance.

"Please come on in, I promise to do what I can... What are you doing here buddy," Natsu asks, his tone doing a complete one-eighty as he turned from Gloria to Romeo, stepping to the side and lowering into a crouching position, allowing Gray to bring the comatose woman inside with Cana following, patting Natsu on the shoulder as she entered.

"Well, when Gray asked my dad for help to save someone, I just had to see it!" Romeo said excitedly, not picking up on the somber tone of the air, his childish excitement to see cool magic making Natsu smile.

"We'll come on in buddy, I'm sure Mira can get you some milk and cookies as you watch it all okay?" Natsu said carefully as he looked at Macao, before turning back to Mira, asking permission from both, only to receive a nod and a smile.

"Come here, Romeo! Want to meet Juvia?" Mira asked carefully, calling the young boy forward, who ran on his short stubby legs, before tackling her knees in a hug, before turning to the bluenette beside her.

"I assume you are here to provide me magic?" Natsu asks as he stands up straight, ignoring the chatter from inside his house as he looked the father in the eyes.

"Sure am, but kid, I-, I'm sorry," Macao said with a heavy sigh, making Natsu quirk a brow in shock.

"For what? You're not-" Natsu began, confused as to what the man could be sorry for.

"I'm sorry for everything. For ignoring you, not helping you, everything. I should have stood up for you yesterday. But instead, I stood back... I, may not agree with how you fought the Phantom, but without you, Master could have died, and my son could have been left without a father. You've grown into a good kid," Macao explained, looking at his clenched hand, unaware that tears were building in Natsu's eyes.

"Seeing you with Romeo yesterday... It, it made me realize that you've matured, you've learned. And that's something none of us saw. And that's our own fault. And sure, I may no longer be the strongest Fire Mage in Fairy Tail... But I'm sure there's still something I could teach you?" Macao said in an unsure tone as his eyes met Natsu's, a smile growing on his face when Natsu simply extended his hand.

A sign of forgiveness, a sign of peace.

"I'd like that... I was always curious as to how your fire had that sticky aspect." Natsu said with a smile as they shook hands, before walking into his home, no longer any hostility between the two as they prepared to save a life.

"Of course! You ask for my biggest secret!" Macao bemoans dramatically as he entered the kitchen, with a chuckling Natsu following behind, letting them see Juvia, Mira, Cana and Romeo sitting at the island, all enjoying a glass of milk and a plate of Mira's cookies.

Where they came from, nobody knows.

But Gray and Gloria, they were in the living room, with the unknown woman in a recliner, laid all the way back with Gray and Gloria standing by her side.

And that made Natsu get serious.

"Alright, can you explain what is going on?" Natsu asked as he walked past the cookie squad into his living room, with an equally serious Macao following behind, his mid lamenting on the fact his son was almost left fatherless, inspiring a more mature overall outlook in life.

"We... I had got a job. We were so excited, we could finally leave the homeless shelter..." Gloria explained, her eyes almost looking off into the distance as she recounted what happened, while Gray held her hand, not saying a word.

"Was this for Jude?" Cana asks, interrupting the story making Gloria snap out of her state, making her turn to the lush in surprise.

"Yes, it's why we were so excited. We would finally have some extra money, no longer below the poverty line... It was a big step for us," Gloria explained, a lone tear rolling down her cheek as she looked back to the young woman on the chair before her, gently squeezing Gray's hand in appreciation.

"Hmm, and what caused your friends to enter this state of... Comatose?" Natsu asked, not as if he was asking an actual question, but simply searching for the right word making Gray role his eyes, but he didn't comment.

"We were at the bar, celebrating and trying anything and everything we wanted because Jude had provided a pre-placement check so that I could meet his required state of dress. But it was soo much." Gloria explained, surprising everyone present.

That was not a normal business protocol, and given how dirty Jude was it seemed as if he was preparing to blackmail her ahead of time. And as smart as Gloria seemed to be, she was easily swayed by what seemed like a stroke of luck, without considering the fallout.

"And the last thing I remembered was that Kagura was talking to this cute guy with blue hair..." Gloria explained making Natsu's eyes shoot open wide in shock, before settling into what seemed to be a light glare, his face hardening entirely as he approached the unconscious woman.

Mira was instantly worried by Natsu's change in disposition, even though it wasn't quite that large.

He hovered over her body, his eyes scanning over her entire form as if he were searching for something. She had long dark purple hair, with an angular face, her skin clear and a very, very light tan. She was wearing a simple pair of sweatpants, and a black t-shirt.

And then he reached forward and began to pull down the sweatpants covering her legs to her ankles making everyone's eyes widen in shock.

"What are you?!" Gloria screamed in anger, reaching forward to tackle Natsu away, only for Gray to hold her to his chest, his firm arms wrapping around her waist, allowing Natsu to continue.

All women present, however, did walk forward, curious as to what he was looking for, knowing he wasn't going to do anything indecent, without consent.

Natsu continued analyzing, his pupils shifting to slits as he scanner her lower body, before frowning as he pulled the sweats back into place.

His hands moved to the hem of her shirt, before pausing and looking at Gloria.

"She has a bra on?" Natsu asked as he looked the assistant in the eyes, who had stopped struggling the second she realized Natsu was being clinical in his search.

"Yes, but what on earth are you doing?" She asked softly, a hint of fear in her voice as she watched Natsu pull her shirt up, to the bottom of her armpits, before frowning and snapping his fingers.

Instantly, rings of fire appear around her body. Wrist, shoulder, neck, head, lower back, hips, knees, and feet were instantly covered by rings, before they began to lift Kagura up, supporting her body as she rose into the air, a ball of fire appearing under her body, and proving light.

And Natsu finally found what he was looking for.

A small, dark brown for that looked almost like a freckle on her lower back making Natsu sigh.

"Well that's it right there, Natsu said with a sigh, his pupils reverting from slits, leaving everyone confused.

"What?!" Gloria cried in shock as everyone instantly ran forward, to look at what he was pointing at, confused to see a mole.

"That is a magic circle, banned by the council coun forty years ago because of how it was used. Originally, it was a good way to keep patients unconscious for any operation needed for, but then it was used by dark mages to transport slaves back and forth." Natsu said with a sigh, surprising everyone by how simple thins seemed.

"Wait, so you mean that she has been under a spell for over three years?!" Gray cried in shock, leaving Natsu surprised.

"Wait.. she's been like this for three years?" Natsu asked, his face shifting into a contemplative look as he looked at Kagura before turning to Macao.

"Yeah... Is that bad? Will-" Gloria panicked, worries that her friend may never wake up, only to be cut off by Natsu, as Gray gently squeezed her hand... Something Mira noticed.

"She's going to be okay... But whoever cast this spell must be crazy strong to hold it for three years, as it constantly siphons magic as it's used... And the second the spell is broken, this blue-haired man will know," Natsu said as he looked to Gloria, before turning to Macao, making the old man sigh as a magic circle appeared in front of his chest, his classic s pendant on his chest shining in the light.

"Purple Stream!" Macao said softly as torrent flame shot out of the circle, making Gloria scream in fear before she saw all the fire siphon into Natsu open mouth, leaving her completely shocked.

"You get used to it," Gray said as they watched this continue for thirty seconds, the fact the room never heated in the slightest is a true testament to both Macao and Natsu's control to some extent.

Macao quickly cut magic to his spell off, his only sign being the sweat trailing down his cheeks.

"Okay, just trust me alright?" Natsu said as he turned to the woman in the air, his hellfire flames enveloping his right hand, and his pure green flames erupting in his left before he brought the two together.

The ball of fire swirled together in a perfect mix, green and maroon mixing and twirling together in his hands, and casting an otherworldly glow on his shirt and arm wraps.

Cana, Mira, and Juvia stood by in a weird mix of pride, affection and a tad of surprise, while Romeo was gobsmacked at how smart Natsu was. Macao, however, just felt worse. Natsu recognized something that nobody else probably would have, whether it was knowledge gained through his work as a saint, or from his own personal experience was irrelevant. It was just more proof that this kid, who's barely an adult, probably had the same type of knowledge regarding magic that Gildarts or even Makarov had. And that, in itself, was astonishing.

The saint himself looked Gloria in the eye one last time before he pressed the ball of fire right onto the magic circle is hidden on the woman's back, making the flea envelop the unconscious woman completely, before vanishing as Natsu lowered the woman back down onto the recliner, confusing Gloria.

She expected something different, until a flash of bright light exploded from the body, with no physical force behind it, almost blinding everyone for a second, before it disappeared, revealing the woman lying on the recliner.

But this time, it was different.

Her eyelids were moving, as if she was dreaming, her right hand slightly twitching, making Gloria gasp in surprise.

Because now? Her friend could wake up any second now.

"Ta-da," Natsu said tiredly as he walked towards the large window to the right, sticking his hands in the drapes and pulling them back, revealing the setting sun.

"Feel free to stay over tonight, it's pretty late. I'm going to hit the hay," Natsu said tiredly, as if he hadn't just saved another life, and changed another completely, as he disappeared towards the staircase, sounds of him reaching the second floor echoing through the silent house, as everyone looked around, meeting each other's eyes as they considered his request.

"We probably shouldn't move her, plus it's safer for her here if what Natsu said is true," Gray said as he kneeled beside Gloria, who was holding the woman's hands with tears slowly rolling down her face.

"Okay Romeo, let's get you to bed," Romeo said as he turned to Mira, silently asking for her to show them a room, making the model smile as she led the father and son down the hall across from the living room, leaving Juvia, Cana, Gray and Gloria alone with the now sleeping woman.

"...helping you guys is the best thing that I've ever done. I owe you, and Natsu so much, I'll never be able to pay you back no matter how much I help Makarov with paperwork and orders," Gloria said from her spot on the floor, breaking the comfortable silence, and surprising everyone present.

"I Told you, welcome to the team," Gray said gently, making Cana roll her eyes.

"Is Natsu-sama usually like that? To just save someone and act as if it doesn't matter?" Juvia asked surprised, a bit of awe in her voice as they stared down at the sleeping woman in the bed.

"Yes!" Everyone chorused, including a happily crying Gloria, making Juvia blush.

But what they didn't expect, was for their combined volume to awake the woman on the chair, her eyelids beginning to flicker as she excited rem REM sleep, making everyone stare in shock as her eyes slowly flickered open, revealing serious, olive green eyes to the world in the first time

"Welcome back, Kagura..." Gloria whispered softly, as she watched her best friends eyes take in her surroundings, unable to wheel the feeling of elation building in her chest.

And everyone else just smiled

 **Merudy's PoV**

"Wow..." The pink haired teenager muttered in shock as the picture in Ultear's Lacrima orb, a multitude of emotions painted upon her pale, perfect skin.

"How... Wha-. What the hell was that?!" Merudy finally screamed, her young, mind and immature carefree personality not allowing her too completely grasp what she had just seen in that recording.

"That was the power of the Prince of dragons... A man who could summon other deities and beings once lost to Earthland." Ultear explained, making Merudy gape, that type of power only seen by people like Master Hades, men who were complete monsters on the field of battle.

"... He really is all they say... he almost died... But what happened to Deliora?" Merudy asked, confused as to why there was no corpse, no sign of Deliora's actually existence other than the destruction that he wrought in his wake.

"And that is your mission, Master Hades also found it was strange that nothing was left of Deliora, and that is your cover. I need you to keep an eye on my mother, and assist him as much as possible to ensure she wakes up." Ultear explained, a distressed look of urgency in her eye as she pleaded for her little sister's aid, even though she was exhausted from her previous mission, the bags under her eyes visible in the vibrant light that reflected off the ceiling and floors.

"Of course I will go help! But, what if she needs-" Merudy said as she squeezed her sister's hand in a comforting manner.

"Please, do whatever it takes. I'm finally so close to saving her, and this time I won't... I won't have to hurt anyone to do it. This time, this time I can keep a clear conscience," Ultear said, a solitary tear running down her right cheek as she held eye contact with her younger sister, the intensity in her gaze making Merudy suddenly realize just how much strain her actions had put on her heart.

"Its okay, I'll do whatever it takes to bring Ur back," Merudy said as she squeezed Ultear's hand in an attempt to seem supportive, even though the blush on her cheeks betrayed her true intentions.

"You just want to go meet Natsu don't you?" Ultear said, a knowing smirk on her face as she watched her little sisters cheeks erupt in a deep, scarlet blush.

"Ultear!" Merudy cried embarrassed, flopping back onto her mound of pillows, her entire body hidden by their soft, cuddly bodies, leaving a slightly relieved, but mostly happy Ultear sitting quietly on the foot of her sister's bed, another tear running down her cheek as she realized she may not see her mother for a long time.

"There's one last thing I need you to do, I need to tell him he is being sent to go kill the Oracion Seis. That is his punishment," Ultear asked making Merudy shoot out of the plushies like a dolphin, question marks dotting her face as she looked at Ultear confused, scared, and worried.

 **Kagura's PoV**

"G-Gloria..? Wh-Where a-are w-ee" Kagura spoke up, her tongue and vocal cords partially numb from lack of use, suffering a form of muscular atrophy, from lack of use over the three years she was comatose.

"Kagura? Kagura! Thank God, *Sob*... You have no idea how nice it is to hear your voice..." Gloria cried out, her voice dulling to a whisper as she continued to hold Kagura's hand in her own, confusing the purple Haired woman who attempted to sit up, to see why her best friend was so distressed.

But she couldn't, because of the small, warm hands gently holding her shoulders down, preventing her from completing the action. But it only made the waking woman more worried, because Kagura was beside her, so who the hell was behind her?!

"Calm down, Don't strain yourself, you haven't moved in a while, just take it slow alright?" A soft angelic voice said, their small, feminine hands slowly sliding off her shoulders, and down her arms.

And as creepy as it sounds, it was actually a tactic used by nurses to allow patients to know where they were at all time, rather than leave the patients panicked as to where they had gone to.

And slowly, a white-haired woman came into view, her perfect, clean platinum hair glistening in the lacrima light on the ceiling, triggered since there was no longer any light coming in through the windows.

"My name is Mira, is there anything I can get you, water, food..." Mira trailed off, specifically leaving herself specifically inside of Kagura's small field of view.

"W-where-" Kagura began, only to be cut off by Gloria who rose up, joining Kagura's point of view now, bent over Kagura bringing most of her torso and her face inside Kagura's point of view, thoroughly confusing the purple haired woman because she looked so much older than she remembered.

Gloria had matured a bit, her brown eyes were wiser, her freckles had begun to fade, while lines had begun to grow at the corner of her eyes. Her glasses frames had changed as well, they were now a thicker, black plastic, the lenses themselves were more rectangular than ovular. And this made Kagura happy. originally Gloria had always bought the frames that were less noticeable, almost as if she didn't want people to notice she wore glasses. But now she wore her glasses proudly, integrated into her sense of identity.

"You're at my friend's house, he actually helped heal you. Are you okay?" Gloria asked softly, knowing not to try and bring attention to the fact that she had been in a magically induced comatose state for a good three years or so.

"W-wait.. h-heal me? w-what do you mean, w-why do you lo-ook older?" Kagura asked, panic clear in her face, eyes, and tone, making Gray and Cana wince, having had not wanted to bring this topic up so soon, her mind doing its best to try and adapt to this three-year gap in her consciousness.

"You've been asleep, But its okay, because you're here now!" Gloria cried out, losing control of her excitement as she tackled her best friend in a hug, making the present Fairies sigh, knowing they too, would not have been able to hold themselves back either.

"W-what do you-, for how long?!" Kagura cried out as she shot up, her voice box finally beginning to work itself back to where it was before. The voice box and tongue were some of the only muscles that nurses could not exercise as a patient was comatose, their muscular control in their hands, or even bowels were not as controlled either.

"Three years," Gloria whispered, making Kagura's eyes shoot open in shock, attempting to sit back up only to be held down by Mira still, as another woman came into view.

She had deep blue hair, like the clearest water and deepest seas, a stark contrast from her pale porcelain white skin. She was taller than the woman currently holding her down, but with her introduction, she felt almost as if there were even more people int the room, just out of her view.

Gloria said they were helping her, at what cost? What would she-

"Here's some water," The blue haired woman said as she came closer, a cup of water in her grasp as she stood beside Mira, allowing Kagura to have a better look at the taller woman, but her mind was somewhere else.

"Where am I, who are you people, what's going on!" Kagura shouted as she struggled to get up, fear of betrayal and blackmail clouding her mind due to a past of fear and misfortune.

"We are mages from the guild Fairy Tail, let her up Mira, restraining her simply makes her worry more. My name is Macao, this is my son Romeo. The lady with blue hair is Juvia, the saucy brunette is Cana, and that, right there is Gray. You are currently in one of our senior mages home," Macao explained with a sigh as he stood up, the stern tone in his voice prompting Mira to back up, gently removing her hands as she looked back to Macao hesitantly, as both Mira and Juvia backed up, while Gray, Romeo, and Macao entered her field of view, giving Kagura the time she needed to gently lift herself to a sitting position, with Gloria standing at her side, holding the woman up as she scanned the room, and its inhabitants for the first time since she woke up.

Macao was clearly the oldest, and tallest person present. He had long, dark blue hair pulled back, and was wearing a white overcoat with navy blue accents, black slacks, and a black t-shirt with a large white S pendant spanning across most of his upper torso. But his overcoat was half off, clearly displaying the violet Fairy Tail guild mark on his right bicep.

Beside him is what Kagura immediately assumes to be his son, due to their resemblance, matching hair color, and even similar clothing, wearing a green shirt with a large white S on his shirt.

The next person she saw was whom she assumed to be Gray, with black, spiky hair, a pair of simple black cargo pants, and a black t-shirt pulled up to the top of his right pectoral, displaying a black Fairy Tail guild mark on his chiseled chest.

And in front of the young man was Juvia, the blue-haired woman who brought her water, was wearing what appeared to be something akin to a schoolgirl's uniform, with a green collared white shirt, and a simple blue skirt with a white doll pinned to her shirt.

And beside her was the first woman, the kind, gentle Mirajane, who was wearing what almost liked like a black, gothic lolita maid's dress, but without an apron. The edges were trimmed in white frills, and she had a black ribbon tied around her neck almost like a choker collar, but she still retained her sense of angelic beauty. But the most surprising part was that she had her skirt pulled up to her hips, revealing the platinum guild mark upon her left thigh.

"W-what happened? Why am I here?" Kagura asked as she continued to look around the room, already feeling out of place in the clearly comfortable, modern, and _expensive_ room she was in. The clean, white shag rug, the rich, but smooth black leather, and the fine, hardwoods encompassing the room.

"You've been under the influence of a spell for over three years. And you're here because it was broken." Cana interrupted as she placed her hand on her hips, still growing used to being properly dressed, actually wearing a white button-up shirt, even if it was unbuttoned to the point it revealed the blue bra, but it was still a great improvement.

"Wait, what?! Three years?! What she- *Cough*" Kagura yelled, only to start coughing, her tongue and through still not used to such movement in three years, not to mention screaming. Juvia quickly walked forward, the cup of water in her hands, as she offered it to Gloria, not wanting to overstep her bounds, especially since Kagura was so rightfully paranoid of strangers.

And they all watched as Gloria carefully patted Kagura's back, easing her coughing before raising the cup to her friend's lips, allowing her to take the drink herself, as she slowly tipped her head back, not noticing that Gloria simply pulled her hands back incase Kagura's hands were not as they once were.

But they all watched as Kagura easily finished the glass, something that at least proved the hospitals worth in their treatment, even if they were either incompetent or a part of the entire scheme as a whole.

"They can't- It hasn't-" Kagura panicked as she met Gloria's green eyes with her own amber eyes, not wanting to believe it true, even though Gloria would never attempt to pull off such a cruel trick.

"It has been, a long time, the ear is now x784..." Gloria said sadly, not wanting to ever see someone she cared for in such pain. For someone to know they didn't just lose a few years or months. But a little over three years, which were to be some of her best, especially since she is now an adult, having had been deprived of the rest of her childhood.

And then Kagura fell silent, wanting to stay strong, and unwilling to let Gloria or even the Fairy Tail mages before her see her break, and crumble. And it lasted like that for five, long, painstakingly minutes, with the mages watch in pity as Kagura simply stared at her hands, a solitary tear rolling down her cheek.

Romeo really did his best to stay silent, but he had begun fidgeting, bored in the long uncomfortable silence, something that no glare from his father could delay. But luckily, it was not enough that Kagura broke from her disarray.

"w-What happened?" Kagura asked silently, making Gloria sigh as she stood up, motioning for everyone to take a seat, before looking around for a chair she could sit beside Kagura, only to be surprised when a card landed on the floor beside Kagura's chair, and a second later, a small, but comfortable wooden chair appeared, making the former assistant give Cana a nod in gratitude.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Mira asked kindly as she crossed her hands on her lap, sitting on the loveseat beside Juvia with Cana resting against the back of the couch with her arms crossed on the headrest, while Macao, Romeo, and Gray all sat on the couch across from the recliner, all having the same matching black leather.

"W-we were at the bar, celebrating Gloria's new job... And this man approached me, he was sooo handsome, with his royal blue hair, and that red tattoo on the left side of his face. He bought me a drink... and we started talking... I remember him telling me about stories from previous missions, having had been a mage himself... And then... And then..." Kagura continued to explain, unaware of how Macao and Cana's eyes widened at the mention of a blue-haired man with a tattoo, too focused on how suddenly her memory stopped there. With no else, no feeling or recognition past that last point.

"And then what?" Gloria asked kindly as she rubbed Kagura's back, supporting her sister through everything as The fairies hearts went out to her, unable to comprehend just how it would feel to lose not only years of your life but to also change physically, especially since she will stop growing soon.

"And then nothing! I can't remember anything, do you-" Kagura blurted, scared to imagine what that man could have done to her, feeling scared and afraid, until a calming sense of warmth encompassed her, calming her. She had no idea where it came from, or who was responsible, but even as she looked around, she felt no signs of magic coming from any of the fairies before her, and none of them seemed to feel it either.

"It is more than likely that he is responsible for the spell that held over you, I'm just not sure-" Gray responded, making Cana try to roll her eyes, as he was clearly trying to seem intelligent, in an attempt to impress Gloria.

"It was one of the Wizard Saints, Siegrain." Romeo interrupted, making everyone turn to the child, shocked not only that he knew who had done it, but by the fact that one of the nations greatest protectors were responsible for such a misdoing.

"How do you-" Mira asked worriedly, knowing that most of their members, especially Gray would not be able to fight the man on an equal standing. Meaning that this was just another fight that Natsu might not walk away from. There's no way he would let the others take that risk, something that made her love him and worry about him even more.

"Grampy Maki told me! When dad was out working he would tell me stories of the council, and the saints..." Romeo interrupted with a shrug, and a smile, unaware of how helpfully he was actually being.

"But why on earth would a wizard saint risk everything to put Kagura in a coma... And did that have anything to do with why the hospital was unable to heal her?" Mira asked worriedly as she rubbed her chin, making the room go silent, as the moon retook its place in the sky.

"There's a chance... You seem to be taking this well?" Macao commented as he rubbed his chin in worry, his eyes locked on the purple haired woman, not for perverse reasons, but because he wanted to make sure she was okay.

"I am not new to loss, first my family and now time... I'm just grateful that I have the opportunity to continue living... Which of you is responsible for saving me?" Jaguar asked, her tone maintaining its cold accent, as she looked over each and every mage before her.

"Actually it was none of us, the owner of this house is," Macao responded with a small smirk, making Kagura's eyes widen before she sighed.

"Get some rest, this house is safe," Mira said with a smile as she leads Juvia to one of the guest rooms, with Cana and Gday following, both wishing to be here in the morning, while Macao and Romeo headed for the door, giving the others some space as they headed home.

"How can you be so sure? You said the man responsible is a wizard saint?" Kagura demanded making Gloria roll her eyes, grateful, but annoyed that Kagura maintained her slightly... Bossy, personality.

"Because the owner of this house is the sixth Wizard Saint," Gray said with a smile as he turned back, locking eyes with Gloria, silently asking her if she wanted him to stay, nodding slightly when she shook her head no, and following Mira towards what he hoped, to be a bed, silently wondering where Happy had been, hoping the blue cat wasn't too upset about earlier.

* * *

And onto the reveiws!

Guest-20- END Dragneel- thank you for your honesty reveiw, and Ill try my best to keep your thoughts in mind. Sometimes, I feel as if I don't explain enough, especially chapter 30 onwards. But I will try and cut out anything unnecessary.

Everyone- What happened? I cut my hand at my parttime job, Got nine stitches, and its at a point on the back of my thumb that when I move my other fingers, I still risk pulling the stitches. Sorry for the small chapter, but, These were unforeseen circumstances.


	50. Punishments Delivered

And onto the Story!

 **A/N** there is an online resource called fic save. xyz, that will download fanfics into EPUB.

Please use it respectfully.

 **Natsu's PoV**

Our favorite Wizard Saint woke to the sound of knocking on his front door, his keen senses able to pick up the exact location of where the sound was coming from. Through walls, windows or doors.

And the first thought that went through his head was a worry. It's not that his house was impossible to find, that it was hidden by some magic one otherwise. But, it was still out of sight, and out of mind.

He quickly shot out of bed, a little surprised that Mira had not joined him, but it was probably because she wanted him to sleep, but he already knows she stayed overnight, already picking up on her scent in one of the spare bedrooms the second he woke up.

And it took him a second to realize that Macao and Romeo were the only ones to return to their own homes. Not that Natsu minded. He had no mortgage, no rent. All he paid for was food and clothes, and even then, he and Happy preferred to hunt, gather and fish.

But they that brought to question who was at his door. He quickly got out of bed, not choosing to throw a shirt on, just leaving him in his flame decorated boxers as he left his room, peaking his head in Happy's room, a small smile on his face when he saw the serene smile on the cats face as he snuggled his blue tuna plushy to his chest... That happened to be as large as him in volume, not mass.

And when the person at the door mocked for the second time Natsu sighed, curious, and worried as to whether or not that had anything to do with the council meeting that no doubt happened at least a day ago.

He took the stairs slowly, not wanting the unknown persons knocking to wake the other inhabitants, especially the two women sleeping in his living room.

He didn't even bother to look through the peephole in his door, swinging it open to reveal a very flustered pink haired woman that appeared to be in her late teens, based upon appearance, magical aura, and size. She was about average height, meaning that she was eye level with his bare, scarred chest, as he looked down at her, quickly taking her in before looming her in the eyes.

She was wearing a simple maroon dress that went to her mid-thigh. It was tight, but not indecently so, showing next to no cleavage at all, the black trim tying into straps at the back oh her neck, coming up from her chest and back around her neck.

She had a simple pair of black earmuffs on her head and a navy blue council cloak on her shoulders making Natsu frown. It was the white cape-ish cloak, held with a green jade clasp at the cusp of her collarbone.

"Whats the verdict doc'" Natsu asks with a sigh as his right hand came up, running through his hair and spiking it back up, unaware she was watching his every move, her eyes tracing his muscles as he moved, completely unaware that she was in a trance.

Natsu stared at her for a minute, his eyebrow raising as he realized she didn't hear him, he was just confused. Why would someone come to his door, most likely looking to speak to him, if they weren't going to talk to him?

Until a very familiar scent caught his nose, that interesting mix of blood and roses.

"Are you Ultears emissary?" Natsu asked curiously as he tapped the entranced pinkette on the shoulder, the heat of his finger felt even through her cloak, snapping her out of her shock as her scared, wide eyes met his.

And she was surprised that there was no annoyance or arrogance in his eyes or face.

And she smiled.

"Yes, I am! My name is Merudy Milkovich, and before you ask, no, I am not her biological sister, she adopted me when I was younger." The shorter, bubblegum haired woman said making Natsu smile as he tapped his nose.

"I wasn't. Her smell is on you, not similar to your own. Would you like to come in? I'm sure you have much to tell me about." Natsu said with a smile as he climbed his front steps, turning his back to and revealing that the scar on his left shoulder did, in fact, go around the entire joint.

But, he was also unaware that he was fulfilling one of her dreams. She was about to enter her crushes house, and he was shirtless! She even pi chef herself to check if she was dreaming, before entering the large house, that had to be at least around 4000 sqft.

Natsu closed the door behind her, letting her take his house him as he stood at the entrance to his kitchen, a knowing smile on his face as he simply waited for her to gather herself, smiling even further when her face erupted in a blush, watching as she ran into his kitchen before bringing up the rear..

He gestured for her to sit at his island before walking over to his fridge, unaware her eyes were following his every move, even as he poured them a glass of orange juice, is very silent as he did so.

"So, what happened with the council meeting?" Natsu asked in a whisper, confusing Merudy, until he silently pointed towards his living room, revealing both Gloria and Kagura, sleeping on the couch and lazy boy respectively.

"What?!" Meredy screams whispers, assuming that he had a busy night, sleeping with both, but leaving them to sleep on his couch.

And for the first time in his clueless existence, he caught onto her assumption, his trail of thought only aided on by what a horn dog Gildarts was.

"Wait, you don't understand, I had to break a spell on the purple haired girl," Natsu tries to exclaim frantically, the situation made amusing by the fact this entire conversation maintained in the range of a whisper.

"Oh really? What spell?" Merudy asked shocked, and partially jealous, they did look thoroughly exhausted.

"The purple haired girl, Kagura, had been under the effect of _binding unconciousness_ for apparently three years," Natsu whispered, finally giving the spell a name since he broke it last night, shocking Merudy.

"Wait, what?! That was forbidden by the council years ago. Plus! Only a handful of people on the planet are-" Merudy ranted, her firm, concrete ideal of Natsu in her head beginning to crack and shatter.

He was supposed to be a good, decent man. Albeit stupid.

"Siegrain, it was Siegrain," Natsu interrupted making the bubblegum's jaw drop as she stared at him, more than aware of Siegrain's plans and moral ambiguity, but for Natsu to accuse him?

"How do you know? What proof do you have to accuse a councilman of that?" Merudy questioned strictly, not wanting to be mean to Natsu, but having to play the part of a loyal council representative... For now.

"I heard them talking about it last night. Blue haired, red tattoo under his right eye, and strong enough to hold the spell that long?" Natsu listed rhetorically, making Merudy internally cringe, but the shock on her face was genuine.

Jellal was a calm, cold, conniving bastard who hated taking risks, never wanting his face to be seen, or his voice hears until his victory was assured. So why on earth would he take a risk that huge? To let her see his face?

What purpose could he have?

'Unless" Merudy thought, remembering when Ultear retold their confrontation to hear. 'He mentioned that he forced shadow to raid villages... Could she be his sister?!" Merudy thought, everything making more, and more sense.

But of course, Natsu thought she paused just to think about his reasoning.

"Hmm, that is very worrying, I'll make sure to pass this information onto Ul-" Merudy began, only to be cut off by Natsu who gently rose his hand, but his pointed stare was more than enough.

"Please, stop the crap. You can't do squat without any actual proof, this is all hearsay unless we can tie him to it. Plus, the council couldn't take the hit of two wizard saints being reported as rogue or dark in a single week's time," Natsu said with a sigh as he stood up, taking his now empty glass of juice towards his sink and gently setting it inside.

"But enough of that, you didn't come here to talk about the corruption in the council," Natsu said making Merudy cringe, hard. Because Ultear also counted under that umbrella.

"Would you like anything to eat?" Natsu asked with a smile as he sat across from her once more, unaware that even a tired smile had made her heart race, this conversation proving that Natsu was everything she thought he was, if smarter.

"No, I'm quite alright. I do also have the councils verdict regarding your case," Merudy said as she took another sip of orange juice, making Natsu's smile thin, his face growing serious as he maintained eye contact.

"Your charges regarding property damage were dropped, as were your charges of trespassing, mischief. However, you were in fact found guilty of assault, only because of Arias state. But, the council also agreed your actions were necessary, if too far." Merudy explained, surprised when she saw Natsu smirk.

"Alright, what do they want me to do?" Natsu asked in an amused tone as he leaned back on his stool, surprising Merudy with how accurate he was.

"They want you to find an eliminate the Oracion Seis by the end of the week. Originally, you were supposed to leave tomorrow, but, they decided to give you a window rather than a specific day." Merudy explained with a sigh, watching worriedly as Natsu's eyes widened, before sighing.

"Of course... At least I have a few days," Natsu said tiredly as he ran his fingers through his hair, just glad he didn't have to go and leave tomorrow.

"And, you have to do it on your own," Merudy said making Natsu's eyes shoot to her in shock.

"What?!" Natsu shouted, having had forgotten that he needed to remain silent, too surprised by the essential death sentence that had been placed on him.

It would be an understatement, to say, that Natsu was having a bad morning.

"What's going on?" Gloria muttered as she began to wake, similar comments were heard by Natsu all through his home, as his guests all began to wake, while Gray, Juvia, Cana, and Mira rushed to find the source, worried as to what would make Natsu yell.

Merudy and Natsu sat in silence, with the saint groaning when less than a minute later thumping were heard as the mages rushed down the stairs, less than properly dressed but more than ready to throw down... Not hoedown.

"Are you okay?! What's going-..." Mira shouted as she ran into the kitchen wearing her yoga pants and a sports bra, followed by Gray in boxers, Juvia in a blue sheer nightgown that went to her mid-thigh, and Cana in what was practically a bikini.

"Who is that?" Cana asked confused as they all stood at the door of the kitchen, looking at Natsu and the unknown pink haired girl, the man is shirtless and the latter wearing a council cloak.

Both Juvia and Cana kept their eyes pointed directly at Natsu's chest, a slight blush on Juvia's cheeks as they took in his very tasty, scarred, muscular form.

"Gray, what's going on? Gloria asked as she sat up on the couch, rubbing her eyes before looking at the ice mage, her jaw dropping as she saw him in his boxers, her face erupting like a volcano as her hands began shaking in front of her face.

"Ugh, sorry for waking you all up. This is Merudy, she just gave me my sentence for the war with Phantom Lord," Natsu said with a sigh as he stood up and walked towards the awake Kagura who was simply sitting there and looking at them all with a faint blush on her face.

"What?! But you saved us!" Cana yelled as she glared at Merudy, something that somehow, was not lessened by her current attire.

"But he also paralyzed Arua, who was still technically labeled a light mage at that time," Merudy protested quietly, not agreeing with his sentence either since it was no better than sending him to an executioner.

"Hello Kagura, my name is Natsu Dragneel, how are you feeling," Natsu whispered as he knelt beside the purple haired woman his eyes on hers, waiting for a response while Gloria walked forward, she too wanted to know how her friend was doing.

"I am adequate, are you the owner of this house, the wizard saint?" Jaguar asked stoically making Gloria roll her eyes, resisting the urge to tackle the sakura saint in a hug, so very thankful for what he had done for her.

And instead of giving a verbal response, Natsu just smiled as he let out a bit of magic, his body is enveloped in a flash of white light as he requipped into a white and blue wizard saint cloak, making Cana, Mira and Merudy internally sigh as their eye candy was so abruptly stolen from them.

Natsu simply quirked a brow as he let Kagura examine the authenticity of his cloak, and after a few seconds a smile, barely noticeable smile broke out upon her lips.

"Thank you," Kagura whispered as she leaned forward and gave Natsu a hug, the man smiling gently as he patted her reassuringly on the back, while his guildmates watched with pride.

"No problem, stay as long as you like, but make sure to check in with Makarov and let him know what's going on. He's our guild master and the fifth wizard saint." Natsu said after they broke the hug, making Kagura's eyes widen, shocked that Fairy Tail had two Wizard Saints in their guild.

"And what is your rank," Kagura asked as she attempted to rise, her legs fairly unsteady making Gloria rush to help, while Mira and Juvia decided to work together and make breakfast for everyone.

"I'm the sixth. But yeah just stay with Makarov, hell keep you safe, maybe he'll even let you into the guild if you ask," Natsu says as he walks away, turning his head to catch Kagura's eye everyone being shocked by his statement as they hadn't realized Kagura was, in fact, a mage.

"I do not need anyone's watch or aid," Kagura said determinedly as she gently pushed Gloria back, standing on her own two feet for the first time in three years.

"Ni, you should definitely stay with Makarov. If Siegrain really did put that spell on you, who knows what he'll do now that it's been broken," Natsu said confusing the group from the night before, as he had gone to sleep before she even woke.

So how did he know her name? Or the culprit?

"How do you know about all that? Weren't you asleep?" Gray asked as they all began to congregate at Natsu's huge island, the sizzling of bacon heard as Mira and Juvia continued to make a breakfast feast.

Natsu was sitting across from Merudy, with Cana on his left, and two open seats to his right. Gloria and Kagura were sitting to Merudy's left, with Gray sitting on the unofficial, officials right.

"Nah, I still heard you guys as I laid in bed," Natsu said with a shrug before looking at the two women, working away at making a breakfast for eight people, a pan of eggs, and Bacon under Juvia's watch as Mira prepared the pancake batter on the counter beside the stove.

"You girls want any help?" Natsu asked as he stood up, grabbing the orange juice back out and grabbing his teapot from the cupboard, and handing it to the platinum blonde with a smile.

"You go sit mister, and introduce your guests," Mira said with a joking glare making Natsu smile as he went to sick back down, realizing that Kagura and Merudy were looking at Cana uneasily, making Natsu roll his eyes as he requipped a trench coat and handed it to Cana before sitting down.

"Please dress appropriately at the table, you too Gray, need some clothes?" Natsu said making Cana roll her eyes as she took the coat out of his hand and put it on, the tan coat reaching above her knees, as she did all but the top three buttons before sitting down

Gray just shrugged making Natsu roll his eyes in amusement, watching as the same clothes he gave Gray on Galuna shot out of his requip space, almost knocking Gray off his stool, leaving everyone at the table impressed

"Okay, this is Cana, that's Gray, she's Gloria, and we all know Kagura," Natsu introduced as he pointed at everyone around the table, making Mira sigh, having had wanted him to introduce the council representative.

"That's Mira, she's Juvia, and this, Is Merudy Milkovich, Ultear's adopted sister," Natsu explained making everyone's eyes widen in surprise.

"Wait, what now?" Cana asked in shock as Mira began to place tea cups in front of everyone, while Juvia used hydrokinesis, commanding the boiling water to uniformly fly into the air making Gloria and Kagura watch as a ball of tea shot safely into every glass at the same time without her even looking, all having equal portions.

"Thanks, Juv," Natsu said with a smile as they began to sip their tea, including a fully dressed, smiling Gray who recognized the magic circle on his clothes.

"So Natsu, what is your sentence?" Mira asked worriedly as she began to set the table, the morning sun flowing in through the large windows basking the room in a warm glow.

"Ugh, you're not going to like this one bit," Natsu groaned as he slammed his forehead into the thick marble countertop, making Gloria cringe, even though she knew the marble would probably break first.

"Natsu..." Mira chastised, her tone making Gray flnuch in fear while Cana's eyes widened in shock, memories of the Demon returning to the forefront of their minds, and sending shivers down their spines.

"He is required to hunt down, and stop the Oracion Seis using any means necessary," Merudy explained softly, every active mage in the rooms jaws dropping in shock and fear as they turned to Natsu, surprised to see him taking it so well.

But the girls did not.

"What do you mean? By any means necessary do they want him to kill them all? Do they realize how crazy that is? The Balam alliance will shift and Dark Guilds will wreak havoc in an attempt to take their place!"Cana shouted at the representative, making Merudy lean back.

"Please, calm down." Natsu pleaded silently as he lifted his head off the table, making everyone look at him, worry in their eyes as they met his, but they saw no fear. Only sorrow.

"This is also a test, even if Merudy won't say it. If I defeat the Oracion Seis singlehandedly, then they will consider adjusting the ranks of the four, something even the king will weigh in on. But, if I don't I have served my country well and they hold a ceremony for my death." Natsu explained as he stood up to go outside, honestly feeling mad that a country he had done his best to protect was sending him on a suicide mission.

"Juvia is co fused, what does Natsu-sama mean by single-handed? The council would not stop Fairy Tail from helping him, would they?" Juvia asked as they laid plates of eggs, bacon, and pancakes on the table seconds after the back door closed, making everyone's eyes turn to Merudy making the inmate quite uncomfortable.

"Unfortunately, that is entirely correct," Merudy whispered, her voice still echoing across the entire room.

"Do you want him to die?! The last time they almost killed him in a 7 on 1! Even if he was able to take down Hoteye!" Mira protested angrily as she slammed her hands on the table, glaring at Merudy as she sat across from Merudy with Juvia on her left, and Cana on her right.

"Yiu would be correct, however, Natsu has improved greatly since then, even acquiring the HellFire flames that consume magic. And unfortunately he is being set as a precedent, as never had two legal mages been caught in a conflict like that.

" and the Oracion Seis have no doubt as well! Is the council at least supplying him with equipment?" Cana protested making Merudy sigh.

"They will supply him with rations, and cuffs but nothing else," Merudy said with a sigh making the room go silent before all three girls slowly slide their chairs back simultaneously, making them glare at each other before they all ran to the door, hoping to be the first to speak with Natsu while Gray rolled his eye, as he began to serve himself some breakfast and prompting everyone else to slowly dig in.

A smile grew on Natsu's face when he heard the three women run out his back door, all looking to talk to him, and maybe even comfort him, not that he expected it of them.

He heard them call his name each on trying to outdo each other as they sat beside him on the hill on the edge of his backyard before the ground recessed back into the forest.

"How are you feeling about this?" Mira asked softly as she laid her chin on Natsu's shoulder since Cana and Juvia had beaten her to his sides as they lay their legs out in front of themselves.

"*sugh*... I guess, I always knew I would have to go back and fight them, to finish this once and for all, but after everything that's happened in the past week I don't think I'll be up to it." Natsu said as he stared out at the sun.

"If Natsu-sama would like, Juvia is willing to help fight," Juvia offered helpfully as she looked at him, unsure as to why she was there, by his side, practically competing with other women for his attention. And even though she didn't understand why, the feeling in her chest when he called her 'Juv', or even how her heart raced when he smiled at her...

But it felt right like she was supposed to be by his side for once in her life she was happy, people cared for her well being but not about her strength. It was nice and refreshing... And all because of him.

"Thanks, Juv, but if I was going to bring anyone, it would be Leo..." Natsu said as he turned to look at the bluenette, his jaw almost dropping when he saw her, how the light reflected off her nightgown, to the way her hair was frizzed and out of place, almost curly even. And she looked goddamn beautiful.

"Who's Leo," Mira asked confusedly, u til she remembered the events from a day earlier.."oh, right! Loki... I don't know, is he...?" Mira trailed off, not wanting to insult him in any way since they don't clearly know everything he is capable of now.

"I hope so, I'll need to leave by sundown to even have a chance of finding them," Natsu said with a sigh, even mad at himself for forgetting the tattoo on his arm and hoping that nobody had noticed it.

"Let me at least make you some food on the road?" Mira asked with a smile before pressing a kiss on his cheek, knowing that he is annoyed, upset, but also glad. He finally had a chance to fix his failure and he was going gk take it.

"I actually have something for you as well... Meet me at the guild before you leave it should work." Cana said with a smile as she suddenly leaned over, pressing a kiss on Natsu's cheek, inches from Mira's face before bolting away, leaving a confused Natsu, and a smirking Mira.

'What... Why did she do that? And why isn't Mira mad at me... Come to think of it Mira hasn't gotten mad at me for spending time with Juvia or Cana at all, ain't that what Gildarts said would happen?' Natsu thought to himself, unaware that Juvia had a slight frown on her face because she didn't know what she was feeling.

'Wait why the hell am I looking for relationship advice from him.' Natsu thought as he turned to look at Mira, just to be sure she wasn't mad. And was more than confused to see her smile.

It seems that the demon may become queen after all.

 **Gray's PoV**

"So what did the flamebrain mean when he said you could join the guild. Can you use magic?" Gray asked curiously as he began to cut into his pancake, having had been wanting to ask for a while, but just didn't get his two cents in.

"Who is the flame brain? The wizard Saint?" Kagura asked stoically as she cut her pancake into perfect squares, all one inch squared.

"Yeah, the pink haired idiot," Gray said making Merudy frown, hoping to goodness that this was teasing in good humor and not what the rumors they heard from scouts.

"I am unsure as to what he meant, I have not, and am not aware if I have any capacity for magical capability at all," Kagura replied as she placed one of her perfectly cut squares inside her mouth,

"Well, apparently you do because the flame brain says so," Gray said as he took a sip of his tea, not generally his favorite drink in the morning, but he wasn't going to refuse, especially in front of Gloria.

'Wait, where did that come from?' Gray thought, shocked and confused as to why he would care about her opinion, or how he was worried that he would lose control of his stripping habit and scare her away.

"What makes you so sure his assumption is correct, could he not have misread the spell placed upon me?" Kagura asked stoically as she ate another bite of her pancake, her almost robotic movements making Gray want to scream.

Not even Erza was that bad when he met her, and she was pretty bad, having had even lost an eye so what happened to make her this stone cold?

But Gloria simply wanted to roll her eyes for what seemed like the umpteenth time since Kagura finally awoke. She loved the stoic woman, dearly, but she had trust issues unlike anything she had ever seen, and she had bounced around foster homes for almost ten years.

"Nah, Natsu is a complete and utter idiot. But if he says he knows something, he knows it. It sounds weird, but that guy knows magic, and if he says you have it, you have it," Gray said with a semi-glare as he looked at Kagura, hoping that she wouldn't be lying to him, or Gloria.

"Very well. If I do have magical potential inside of me, how would I use it?" Kagura asked as she gently set her dork and knife down, her domineering attitude really grinding on Gray's nerves.

"What would you use it for?" Natsu asked suddenly as he entered the room, with Juvia and Mirajane in tow, with Cana having had left immediately, not even bothering to collect her personal effects.

"To defeat oppressors. Any who would seek to do harm or injure any would be my opponent." Kagura declared justly, making Juvia take a step back just by the pure force and strength behind her words, while Merudy was left more worried, being stuck between two very hard-headed individuals, rather choosing to move and speak as little as possible.

"Hmm, a noble cause, but you have anger in your heart," Mira replied as she sat down on Natsu's left, and opposite to Juvia.

The plates on his table began glowing slightly, heat being felt off them as he used his fire magic to carefully reheat everyone's meal.

"So you will not help me then?" Kagura asked as she attempted to stare the wizard saint down, and blowing Gloria's last fuse, her worry for her friend mixing dangerously with her frustration for too long.

"Kagura enough! You do not have to be so rude! They have clothed us, fed us, committed actual crimes to break you out of your spell and you still can't trust them!" Gloria raged making Gray facepalm while Juvia's eyes widened adorably, curious as to why she would bring that up in front of a council official.

"Stop," Natsu interrupted, his quiet voice presenting Gloria from screaming any further, and drawing all eyes to himself, letting them notice he had scarfed down his entire meal, in the two minutes he had been inside.

"You are best friends, you shouldn't be fighting over something like this when Kagura clearly has some trauma from the past she still hasn't overcome," Natsu chastised as he looked between the two women, his black eyes locked on Glorias until she relented.

"Kagura, wanting strength to protect your friends or family is good, admirable even. But training to enact revenge is a road not many people can escape. Days, months, even years can go by as you prepare for that moment. And if, if you are capable of going through with it? You're left empty, a shell of what once was an amazing person, ruined through one, single, act." Natsu explained as he stared Kagura in the eyes, shocking all present by the depth he reached in that statement, and the maturity he showed.

"I too once sought revenge, training, and practicing until I almost killed myself from exhaustion. I'm just lucky I had a family by my side to pull me out of it," Natsu said as he gave a sideways glance to Mira, making a Gray frown.

How had they not noticed? Was it after he lost to the Oracion Seis? Or did his tussle with Acnologia effect him more than they realized?

"They say revenge is a dish best served cold because it's even harder to stomach. So look me in the eye, and tell me its worth it..." Natsu continued on, watching as Kagura flinched, it was barely noticeable, but still.

Even Mira was shocked by how mature he sounded, her mind flashing back to a few years ago... But she was proud that he was able to use an experience like that to make sure somebody else didn't achieve the same fallacy.

"I... What happened to you?" Kagura asked quietly, nobody else even moving or making a sound, too caught in the intensity of their conversation.

"He Killed hundreds, thousands of people, took my goddamn arm, and almost killed my stepfather if Igneel hadn't stepped in," Natsu said with a frown, everyone's eyes instantly looking at his arms, confused as to what he meant.

"Uh, I kind of regrew it. But that's totally beside the point!" Natsu lamented making their eyes widen, shocked by such an Impossible concept.

"Maybe you are correct, but for me to obtain closure this is a path I must walk. I need to figure out what happened," Kagura said vaguely, her heavy making Natsu nod his head in acceptance, knowing that she would now at least consider his words, prompting him to reheat the plates once more, and serve himself another heaping portion of scrambled eggs and another stack of flapjacks.

He began to eat his second serving, raising a bit of egg to his mouth, only to stop when he realized everyone was still looking at him, his chunk of egg falling off his fork as he sighed before picking it up again and continuing his meal, prompting the others to pick up where they left off, with Gray nursing his tea, Merudy, sitting awkwardly between them, and Juvia and Mira beginning their first plate, having had ignored serving themselves in favor of talking to Natsu.

"So how on earth did you regrow an arm Flamebrain?" Gray asked curiously as he stretched his back, unknowingly drawing Gloria's eyes to the treasure trail revealed when he arched his back.

"Oh, yeah, about that... I kind of had to... _EatAcnologia'smutilatedarm..."_ Natsu rambled really softly, making Juvia spit out her egg in shock, luckily missing the pinkette across from her who stared at her, slightly disgusted.

"Juvia is sorry! Juvia doesn't believe Juvia heard Natsu-sama properly," the bluenette said with a blush on her face.

"No Juvia, you heard Natsu properly. Igneel had Natsu consume Acnologia's arm to trigger the regrowth if his own, and unheard of an aspect of his magic, probably because nobody has ever wanted to." Mira explained as she bopped Natsu on the head with her knuckles, making the man look at her with a sheepish grin.

"Wow flamebrain, and you kiss Mira with that mouth?" Gray said with a smirk as he took another sip of tea making the saint roll his eyes.

"Oh shush," Natsu said as he rolled his eyes before turning to Merudy, an inkling in the back of his mind as to why she, specifically was here.

"So, you here for Ur?" Natsu asked as he set his utensils down for the last time, making Gray sit straight as everyone grew serious, even Gloria and Kagura matched the tone of the room, even if they didn't know why.

"That is why I am here yes. How is she doing?" Merudy asked as she sat up, her posture changing from shy and nervous to worried and confident.

"She's stable, kind in the same condition Kagura was in, unconscious, but fully functional. I actually had an idea on how to figure out what was going on, but it looks like I may not have the time," Natsu said with a frown, upset that he wasn't able to help her without risking his own future.

"Tell me what she needs! Ultear needs this," Merudy demanded, the fire in her eyes surprising even Natsu, with Gloria even flinching back when her body began to radiate a fluorescent blue and cloudy pink magic aura.

"Juvia hypothesized that perhaps there were undocumented side effects to " iced she'll", due to the nature of the spell. I was going to ask Ultear if our guild telepath could take a look inside her head, perhaps there being some mental block she is stuck on, and thus preventing her from waking up," Natsu explained, the maturity and complexity of his vocabulary making Gray want to scream, not in jealousy, but annoyed that he didn't always make that much sense.

Kagura, Gloria, and Mira gave Juvia a look of awe, surprised she was able to figure something out like that when she wasn't fully part of the entire situation.

"That does make sense, it would explain why she is unable to awake even when her body is in perfect working condition. I will give you permission on Ultear's behalf, but I shall also be of assistance." Merudy offered as she stood up, making Gray, Mira, and Juvia look at Merudy in curiosity while Natsu just smirked.

"But I probably won't have time to do that right now, with Mr having to hunt the Oracion Seis and all," Natsu commented as he stood up, the women at his sides done their meal and thus making their breakfast complete.

"The Guild Master of Cait Shelter reported their activity in the North Waas forest, I would suggest you head there for information," Merudy explained, her eyes still locked onto Natsu's, the intensity never changing, and passion unrelenting.

"Very well. We have to check in with Master first, where he can talk with Kagura and Gloria about what happens next, you're free to stay at my place until then, but please don't make a mess," Natsu said as he followed Merudy out to the door, with Gray and Juvia behind him, with Mira deciding to stay, not only to watch over Happy but make Natsu food on the road as well.

 **Merudy's PoV**

"This is so cool!" Merudy cried out as they shot towards their guild site in a ball of the Black, blue, pink and red fireball because Natsu wanted to waste as little time as possible.

"Juvia does not think we should be screaming when Natsu-sama is trying to concentrate," Juvia said worriedly as they flew over the streets, covering what seemed to be around five hundred meters a second.

"Its alright Juv, besides, we're already here," Natsu pointed out as the ball of fire they traveled in began to descend towards the ground, having had already reached the guild in under a minute of flight.

But by now, both the guild and the residents of Magnolia were well acquainted with their fire dragons method of travel.

And they realized he was right, in less than thirty seconds they had easily shot across the entire city, the speed itself not a feat, but the control over Natsu's flames and being able to turn people into it astonishing.

All, were surprised to see that they had finished clearing out, and scrapping any and all materials from their old hall, with members like Macao, Laki, Max and Wakaba using their respective abilities and creativity to clean up the rest of the salvageable garbage while Alzack, Bisca, Droy, and Nab began to lay out the rest of the new hall, using stakes formed by Laki as markers for corners, and any major obstruction.

Levy, Makarov, Warren, and Reedus were all gathered around a makeshift table, finalizing any plans, and preparing a list for them to start tomorrow when their materials would be dropped off.

The on thought on Gray's mind was whether or not Natsu could consume those flames, and in essence consume someone, if he didn't revert himself. Not necessarily a pleasant thought, but one he considered as they descended towards the ground, their lack of mass reducing any force of gravity, descending at a steady speed, before hovering an inch from the ground, the rapid change in heat creating a large updraft and dispersing any dust.

The flame quickly began to split apart, the different colors and shades separating into four separate balls of fire before they began to form a silhouette of the r2spective mage before their bodies began to take shape.

Merudy was utterly stunned by the completely out of body experience, stunned that someone was able to turn her into the fire, while she remained conscious and aware, and revert her back so flawlessly.

It's a technique so risky not even a strong mage like Ultear, Bluenote or even Hades would attempt such a thing, even though the latter magic may not have worked for such a technique.

"Come," Natsu said they second they were reformed, leading them towards Makarov's table of genius, all of them having something to input, and to Merudy's surprise, nobody gave them a second look, until they recognized the cloak on her shoulders, as one by one everybody stopped working to stare at the bubblegum haired woman in distrust.

"Gramps, the council has made its decision," Natsu called out as he came within twelve feet of his master, with everyone surely inching closer, wanting to know the results of such a meeting, making Makarov sigh as he quickly downed the rest of his mug.

"And I suppose that is what this lovely young lady is here to deliver?" Makarov asked in that way old men on young women, making Merudy physically cringe while Natsu simply rolled his eyes.

"Yes, the council has decided that Natsu will be punished by the form of a single, mandatory quest, that he must face alone, and must be somewhat confidential," Merudy finished as her eyes gestured to the group of fairies behind them, all attempting to hear his punishment.

"Hmmm," Makarov hummed, the sound echoing from his little body before sighing, his eyes shooting to the mages surrounding them.

"Get back to work you brats! You just started an hour ago! Nobody is allowed to take missions until this is cleaned up! The mayor is breathing down my neck!" Makarov cried out making the fairies run away, leaving a cloud of dust in their wake making Levy laugh as she, Reedus and Warren prepared to leave, only to be stopped by Natsu.

"Actually, Levy, Warren would you mind sticking around to hear this? I'll need your help," Natsu asked making Makarov quirk a brow while Reedus left with a smile on his face, going to help his friends.

"Right, let's head to the basement?" Natsu offered as Makarov nodded, their entourage remaining silent as they entered what now looked to be a storm shelter, the basement sealed with a proper door.

"What do they ask?" Makarov asked gravely as he sat in the middle of the table, with Natsu sitting at the head, with Gray opposite to him. Juvia and Merudy sat to his right, in order, with Warren and Levy to his left.

"I have to take out the oracion Seis, solo, by the end of the week," Natsu said with a sigh, feeling less stressed everytime he says it, remembering that he was much stronger than last time, and he already knew of most their tricks.

But they no doubt knew his own as well.

"What?! That's outrageous! How dare they!" Makarov screamed allowed, furious that they were sending his surrogate grandson to his grave, lest something tipped the tides of battle. The old man ignored his annoyance with the saint because he loved Natsu, just because he disagreed with the kid didn't mean he wanted him dead.

Both Levy and Warren were shocked, their respective knowledge of the guild making this almost impossible for Natsu, but that brought to question what he needed their help with.

"It's alright, but I will bring someone with me, damn the council," Natsu said, an insufferable smirk on his face as everyone, even Gray, and Juvia looking at him confused and surprised.

"We have a certain mage who has a grudge against the Seis, and the council can't even deny me his aid due to my magic" Natsu explained fruitlessly, but Makarov smirked as he picked up on Natsu's terrible clues.

"Loki is not ready for this," Makarov said making everyone realize what meant. Loki is one of the twelve gates, a celestial spirit, and since Natsu was a celestial spirit mage, he could just barely bypass their annoying stipulation.

But Gray and Merudy also questioned whether Loki would be a burden, the difference in strength very apparent.

"What do you need?" Warren asked seriously, his view on Natsu changing completely during the phantom incident, especially since you could see Jet and Droy train daily with their new weapons, something Natsu had never charged them for.

Turns out, the seeds Natsu gave Droy very, very rare seeds, that were practically impossible to harvest, but not to grow. Because they originate inside a volcano on an island north of Bosco. One seed was worth about 50 000 jewels, and Droy suspected there were almost thirty seeds in the bag.

And when he used them? He had only thrown four.

Warren himself was very happy with his new sword, the appraised value of approximately 800 000 jewels, the blade made out of strong adamantium, and the grip carved from purple heart.

"Warren, I actually need you to help Merudy here with Ur... Am I sure you're aware of her condition? We have permission for you to enter her mindscape, we believe there may be another effect of the iced shell, but mentally." Natsu asked, only to receive a form nod from Warren, the man willing to follow the senior mage, even though Natsu was actually a year younger than the resident telepath.

"And what would you ask of me?" Levy asked curiously, conflicted as to where she stood with Natsu, aware that the strains on their friendship were fairly even.

"... If you can, I will hire you to help do some research. The master of Cait Shelter reported having spotted the Seis in the Waas forest, I want to know why they are there, and if possible, whereas well." Natsu asked hopefully, regretting the effects of his arrogance in the past, realizing how condescending he had been to the petite brunette.

"I accept, I realize... That maybe you had grown and matured more than we realized and that fault is our own... Plus I can't in good conscience say no, especially after you saved our lives... We can't let the seis win this." Levy explained, confusing Juvia and Merudy while Natsu smiled, instantly requipping a lacrima similar to the one he had given Erza on Galuna Island, making Levy's eyes widen in shock before she calmed down, internally fangirling about the lacrima she now held in her hand.

"Thank you, if you find anything about where they are, or what they're doing, ill give you two million jewels," Natsu said making everyone's eyes widen. Research assignments of that cost usually went on for months, years even. To put it in perspective, she paid 1.2 million a year for rent at Fairy hills.

"I can-i, no, uh, ah!" Levy stuttered, unable to accept such a reward, trying not to drop the lacrima in her shock, before her small hands were dwarfed by Natsu's right arm, making her notice the bandage on his arm, it's silhouette barely noticeable through his jacket.

"Levy, anything you find could be a matter of me surviving this mission or not. Id like to think my life is worth at least two million jewels," Natau said with a gentle smile as his eyes met hers, the cool black calming her weary heart, and making her smile as she nodded in acceptance before shooting out of her seat.

"Where did you say they were?" Levy asked seriously, intending to stay up the entire week if need be until she found something, anything. She would definitely need Jet and Droys help, and she had a feeling they would be willing to assist even without the outrageous reward.

"The Waas forest, but you-" Natsu replied wearily, only to watch as she ran off to most likely head to the magic library in crocus, making Natsu sigh, but he had a smile on his face, glad that his guild was beginning to warm up to him after all these years.

"Alright, now about my mother... Is there any way we could attempt the spell this morning?" Merudy interrupts, trying her hardest not to sound uncaring for Natsu's predicament, but if something went wrong this could be their only chance, and she couldn't do that to Ultear.

Everyone looked towards Natsu, who only turned to Makarov, the old man fiddling with his mustache as he considered the risk, before sighing.

"Hurry, Natsu will need as much time as possible... Just make sure to have one of those lacrima's on you in case you get empty. And, I also had your armor fixed. It was the least I could do, now go my boy! Get a move on, you don't have any time to waste!" Makarov yelled making everyone smile as they bolted to the door, leaving the bumbling old man alone, who was praying that Warren had enough magic to hold up the link on his own.


	51. A Suicide Squad

And Onto the Story!

 **Porlyusica's PoV**

Once again, Porlyusica's silence was broken by the sound and accompanying rumble of someone knocking on her door, making her curse in annoyance as she stormed towards the door, fighting words prepared on her tongue if Natsu were to bring yet another, non-guild member to her home.

She tore her door open, a dangerous scowl on her face as she looked over the five people gathered at her door, instantly recognizing two as Fairy Tail members, but two... two, were not.

The first was the blue-haired lady Natsu brought with him the day before, but she was wearing a different outfit, obviously. She was now wearing what was like a dark blue shin length dress, with a large slit cutting up on her left thigh almost to her hip. She wore a brown belt on her waist, emphasizing her slim waist, and twin bronze leather strips running down from her shoulders down the dress. Her white doll was no longer apart of her attire, leaving her small, blue-furred cape handing around her shoulders, stopping an inch above her elbows.

The other, was a pink haired woman, simply the color of her hair taking Porlyusica aback, unaware that there were so many people sharing hers and Natsu's unique hair color.

And then she noticed the very familiar jade clasp on her collarbone, holding her cape in place.

And from that alone Porlyusica knew that this woman was apart of the magic council, putting her on guard.

"Natsu! Warren, Gray! How dare you bring a council representative into my home. There's a reason why I chose a life of solitude... It was to hide from those power hungry rats!" Porlyusica hissed in anger as she raised her broom, making the others step back in fear while Natsu sighed.

"What a lovely way to introduce yourself. This is Merudy Milkovich, Ur's daughter. She's here to offer any assistance she can," Natsu said sarcastically as he physically blocked The crotchety old woman's path.

"I don't give a damn you brat! You'd be lucky if I ever lift my finger to help you again!" Porlyusica yelled angrily as she stepped forward, faster than the others thought possible and swung her right arm up, attempting to slap Natsu in the face only for his arm to shoot up, catching her older hand on the back of his left forearm.

"I'm truly sorry Porlyusica, but I asked Gramps for his opinion first, and I didn't have the time to ask you, really. I have a suicide mission that has to be completed by the end of the week," Natsu said softly, upset that he had angered a woman that was pretty much the closest thing he had to a mother figure, but he truly had no choice.

Her eyes had widened in shock at his words, her face calming and eyes softening as she lowered her hand, keeping her eyes on his.

"What'd you do this time brat? Come in, come in! The sooner you're all gone the better!" Porlyusica shouted in annoyance as she turned around and walked towards her Medicine table, that sat across from an open window, with shelves on each side of the window, stock full of her supplies.

Natsu sighed as he walked forwards, with the others scrambling to his side after a few seconds, all of them now staring at the unconscious Ice Mage. 'I should have just asked Merudy to remove her cloak,' Natsu thought sadly as he looked down at Ur, unaware the cloak helped hide a certain... Mark.

"Ohmygod. Oh, my, god. I... I didn't think this was real, I thought that you were playing a trick on Ultear. It looked so real, but even that was more probable than this... Thank you, Thank you, thank you!" Merudy cried excitedly as she tackled Natsu in a hug, her small frame almost knocking him over in her excitement.

"It wasn't easy, I had the easy part and was almost drained dry," Gray said, speaking up for the first time as he looked down at his master. This was important to him, Ur's sacrifice was his greatest mistake and his biggest regret. The one thing that weighed on his consciousness the most, and if she could wake up once more... It would be like being free of shackles.

Surprisingly, Juvia did not feel overcome with jealousy as she watched Merudy give Natsu a hug. Perhaps it was the pure innocence of her intentions?

'Juvia is confused. Natsu-sama has been attacked by a love rival, so why is Juvia not mad? Juvia doesn't understand..." The bluenette thought confusedly as she continued to stare at Natsu, who gently pried the shorter pink haired girl off of him, before turning to Porlyusica.

"Warren, feel free to start any time, shout if you need me!" Natsu called out behind him as he walked towards the older woman, making her sigh in annoyance as she continued to prepare some salves and wraps, quickly placing them into an old, worn brown leather satchel, looking almost like a basic sack with its rope tie at the top.

"Damn brat," Porlyusica muttered in annoyance as she placed another wrap of gauze in the bag, filling it completely as she began to tie the top of the bag, knowing full well he could hear her.

"Sorry Porlyusica, but the council said I went too far when Phantom attacked... So now I have to take out one of the heads of the Balam Alliance, solo." Natsu replied in a sad tone as he gently grabbed the bag she held up for him, before putting it away in his requip space.

"Did you go too far brat?" Porlyusica asked tiredly as she placed her open palms on her table spread apart, resting there as she looked him in the eye.

"He tried to kill Gramps!" Natsu protested softly, not wanting to interrupt Warren's concentration while the woman across from him rolled her eyes.

"So what'd you do? Paralyze him? Beat him to a pulp? Does that make it okay?" Porlyusica asked honestly, unaware that Juvia was listening in.

"No, but-" Natsu protested as he looked her in the eye, only to be cut off when she rose a simple finger, making him shut his mouth and listen.

"You don't have the right to determine peoples punishment. Your strength does not give you the power over others. You may be the prince of dragons, but humans are out of your jurisdiction. You're simply the cop, a fighter. But you are not judge, jury or executioner. Do you understand me?" Porlyusica explained, something close to a smile on her face when Natsu nodded his head in acceptance.

"Thank you Porlyusica..." Natsu said as he reached over the table and gave her a hug, eliciting her grumbles of annoyance that left a smile on both Juvia and Merudy's face, both of whom noticed the two pinkette's conversation, but still kept an eye on the telepath.

Gray, however, was too focused on Ur, watching every breath she took, making sure that she took another.

Warren was sitting on a wooden stool at Ur's head, a hand on each side of her skull as he closed his eyes, light blue magic circles about eight inches in diameter spinning clockwise in sync on the back of his hands, as he continued to gently comb through her mind, organizing and reducing the chaos as best he could.

And so they waited there patiently, standing around Ur's table as Porlyusica went around, going through her routine as always, and doing her best to ignore the five.

The four mages sat there patiently, knowing that Warren needed full concentration to continue combing through her mind, simply watching Ur for any signs of pain or discomfort, anything that would suggest he was going to fast.

After another minute he slowly removes his now shaking hands from her head, sweat dripping down his pointed nose as he slowly sat back on the wooden stool, small signs of sweat on his long sleeve fit black shirt.

"Is she okay?" Merudy blurted out, both concern for her older sister and hopefully, soon to be mother leaving her unable to control her panic and jubilation.

"Mentally? She's a wreck, her mind is so disorganized I have no idea how her body still draws breath. You are so lucky she maintained her regular functions." Warren panted as Natsu requipped a bottle of water, handing it to the exhausted mage.

"That's... Good. That means there's still a chance she could recover from this yes?" Gray asked as he looked down at Ur longingly, promising himself that he would at least make amends with Natsu, and say what needs to be said, if only for his Master.

"Juvia was worried something like that would happen. Juvia believes that whatever water spirit you summoned was able to sense the magic in the water, to a degree Juvia can only hope for," Juvia said depressed, knowing she wouldn't have been much more help than Erza.

"Nah Juv, come on, you can turn your body into water, while still maintaining your form. I have a huge affinity for fire and I still only learned flaming steps a few years ago, " Natsu said with a smile as he gently squeezed her shoulder, before turning to Warren, unaware that Juvia just kept falling faster, and further for him.

And that was something she was honestly okay with.

"How long do you think it will take to piece her mind back together," Natsu asked worriedly as he placed his hand on Warrens back, his hand erupting to life, in his pure green flames, making Warrens eyes shoot open in the pure euphoric feeling it bestowed upon him, something he hadn't realized.

It was more than just feeling your body slowly heal, the pain dulled to a bearable, almost gentle amount. It invigorated his senses almost like an aphrodisiac. It warmed your muscles and loosened any strain.

"I honestly have no idea... I've never tried to do anything like this before, I've heard of procedures like this happening before due to forbidden spells, but still." Warren replied as Natsu removed his hand from Warrens back, leaving the man fully rejuvenated.

"What were you doing earlier?" Merudy asked curiously, making Warren sigh as he looked her in the eyes, wanting to feel indignant or annoyed, but this was her mother, she had the right to ask, and know.

"I was scanning through her subconscious, making sure her brain continued to run her heart and other organs, its why it took me so long," Warren said shocking all mages present.

Reading someone's mind was one thing, but combing through the subconscious of a working mind was hard, it was impressive, not overly so, but still quite impressive.

"Alright, I'll leave you four here, Warren, if you need anything just tell Happy to find me, he knows how to find me," Natsu said as he stood up making Merudy frown, having had hoped he would be able to stay longer, but completely understanding why as well.

He was about to open the door, his fingers wrapped around the handle before he turned around, a thought on his mind as he looked for any signs of the lonely old woman.

"Porlyusica, want me to move them to my house?" Natsu called out, making everyone pause and turn to look towards where they assumed the stairs were, waiting for her response.

"What do you think you damn brat?!" The old witch called back in annoyance making the sakura saint roll his eyes in amusement before walking towards the four mages a smile on his face as he cracked his neck, before Warren quickly shot up, blocking Natsu from Ur, wary of the flames building up around the saint.

"Don't Natsu! There's no telling what your flaming steps could do to her mind as it is right now," Warren said softly making Natsu's eyes shoot open, annoyed he didn't think of that himself, before sighing.

He could use his fire make magic, but his house was on the opposite side of Magnolia, and he wanted to use as little magic as possible. Neither did he want to use any of his keys, lest he needs them later. But the most important thing he couldn't waste was his time.

"Natsu-sama, Juvia believes that we will be able to move Ur on our own," Juvia interrupted softly, a cool hand resting on his, snapping him out of his thoughts to see them all looking at him, smiles on their faces.

"Its cool flamebrain, you know I won't let anything happen to her... You have another guild to wreck," Gray said with a smirk as he stepped forward, holding his hand out, a little ice magic swirling around his hand making Natsu smirk.

The Sakura Saint wrapped his own hand in flame as they shook on it, the mixing of the opposite elements shocking Merudy.

"Are you sure, I can-" Natsu said as he pulled his hand back, only to be cut off by Merudy this time, surprising the old woman listening in from the floor above, hoping that his guild had finally seen Natsu and not just who he was.

"Natsu, you're not alone, and you've already done more than enough. Ur has a chance to live because of you. You don't have to do everything," Merudy spoke as she looked down at her surrogate mother, unaware the effect their words had on the saint.

Recently everything has been on his shoulders, Deliora, Phantom, even Eisenwald to a fault... But now with the Seis acting up again? He was nearing his breaking point, something he was sure his inner demon enjoyed quite a bit, but the worrying part was his absence.

" **Don't believe for a second that I'm gone, the minute you're weak, the second you're about to lose control, I will be there... And you won't be able to stop me.** " The demon spoke, making Natsu want to scream in annoyance, that the demon finally spoke up after almost for days, but only to taunt him.

But, it was nice to now know he had friends he could rely on.

"Thanks, guys... Feel free to stay at my home, there are some jewels under the cutlery in my drawer for food, you too Wa-" Natsu rambled, only to be cut off when Juvia squeezed his hand gently, making him shut up and look at her.

"Grab Loki and go, Natsu-sama, Juvia will keep watch over your home and Ur," the rain woman promised, making sure to release a tad bit of her magic to let him know what she meant, making Natsu smile, before disappearing in a flash of fire.

 **Loki's PoV**

"How long have you two been stellar mages?" Loki asked curiously, honestly relishing in the fact he was now back to full strength, for once getting a full night of rest. Years of exhaustion, and pain pulling on his consciousness.

He had brought them to the edge of a small clearing in the forest, only about eighteen feet in diameter overall. The perimeter was full of large oak, maple, and few walnut trees.

And so they simply sat on a blanket Loki grabbed from his apartment, wanting to talk and get to know each other a bit better since he had been avoiding them their entire time at Fairy Tail.

It was nice that they didn't hold it against them.

"My... My mother gave me these keys when I was a child... Before she died," Lucy replied quietly, her voice dying off as she remembered seeing Aquarius, but under Natsu's summoning.

She shouldn't have assumed that Happy would give kept the key. It stung to see her old friend with another, but she knew it was unreasonable to be mad at him for it. She didn't know what came over her, to simply break a contract like that... She was honestly disgusted with herself.

Her mother would have been so disappointed in her.

"My sister was a stellar mage, but I haven't seen her in a very long time... And after that, I kept searching for her, by collecting keys slowly," Yukino replied as soft, making Leo sigh as he pushed his glasses up his nose, already sensing the trauma.

But no matter, he had quite a bit of time.

"What I noticed on the assault of Phantom, was that both of you lack in Physical and Magical strength, which aren't my forte. I would suggest talking to Cana, or Erza about this, those ladies have a crazy amount of magic," Loki said with a shake of his head as he stood up, brushing the grass off of his suit as he walked towards the center of the clearing, making the two girls sitting on the blanket look at him confused.

"But, I can help you learn to fight better as a team. Stand up, no keys, let's see if you can hit me," Loki said as he stood with his hand behind his back, turning the ring on his finger as he watched the two nervously stand up, knowing that Leo was stronger than Jet and Droy combined, making them very wary.

They slowly began to approach him, Lucy with her cat-a-ninetails, the one Natsu gave her on Galuna, the metal tips glistening in the light. Yukino was standing back, about five feet away from Loki, but waiting for Lucy to strike first.

Lucy cracked her whip on the floor, the barbed chains tearing some of the earth, and unlike their skirmish with Shadowgear, she wasn't going to go easy on him, that was his job.

Loki just smirked, keeping his eye trained solely on Lucy curious as to what she was going to do. Unknown to all three was that Natsu had appeared seconds earlier, but decided to stay back, curious to see if either of his "apprentices" had gotten any better since he first met them.

Lucy slowly walked forwards, hoping to scare Loki back into Yukino as she swung her whip around with more skill than Loki thought she had, hoping she could get the drop on him or at least distract him enough for either women to get a hit off.

What she didn't expect was for Loki to stand still, simply stepping to the right, or left to avoid the whip.

Lucy took two large steps forward, bringing her arm forward as she hoped to catch him by surprise as Yukino silently walked forwards, hoping to get a hit off on the back of his head to disoriented the man.

To Lucy's surprise, instead of her whip striking the arm he brought up to block, he caught the chain in his bare hand, a smirk on his face as he gave the whip a tug, sending Lucy flying towards him, a crash course straight for his head, but he just simply ducked, knowing Yukino was only a few feet behind him.

Yukiko immediately dropped to the ground, her hands over her head and trying to ignore the crying pain from her chest as she clenched her eyes shut, trying to ignore Lucy's inevitable impending moan of pain.

But it never came, her gentle, but annoying voice never reaching Yukino's covered ears. She lifted her hands off her head, confused, and looked up to see a serious Loki standing there, his fingers playing with the ring on his finger.

That immediately put her off guard, instinct jumping in as she quickly rolled over, her keys already in hand, only to see Lucy being held in the air by the back of her shirt, looking at the ground with an embarrassed blush on her face.

And the one holding her?

None other than Natsu Dragneel.

 **Yukino's PoV**

She watched as Natsu gently set her down, before looking between her and Loki, a little disappointed they had barely learned anything.

Happy had told him about their fight on Galuna Island, and it was very apparent that they won almost purely by luck, since Tobi underestimated them, or overestimated himself

"Leo, I appreciate that you're trying to train these fine young ladies to become stronger mages, but you could at least have them dress properly," Natsu said with a sigh as he gestured towards Lucy, who was wearing a pink button-up crop top, and what seemed to be a six inch long white skirt.

"What do you mean!" Lucy shouted in annoyance as she looked down at herself, only to realize that maybe Natsu was onto something. Her shirt had shifted, the wide neck bringing her pink lace bra into view, making the woman shriek in embarrassment as she quickly covered herself with her arms.

And Loki's only response was to push his glasses back up the bridge of his nose with his right index finger, before walking forward, curious as to why Natsu would specifically seek him out, with the man responding in kind.

"Yukino, while your clothing permits movement, I would suggest something like leather, which can take much more damage and grant you protection as well. I hope the reward from Galuna will be enough to get you started, if you can't find anything you like, please come to me, Mira or Erza," Natsu said as he gently pulled Yukino to her feet, unaware she had a slight blush on her face, not from fighting, but from embarrassment.

"Lucy, you, already have an armor that fit-" Natsu began, only to be cut off by an embarrassed blonde.

"Actually its a bit too small," she whispered, her face enveloped in a large blush, a comment only the Sakura Saint heard, leaving him, and the others who didn't, confused.

"What do you mean it didn't fit, you an Evergreen are the same height and build?" Natsu asked stupidly, while Leo struggled not to laugh out loud, completely aware what she meant.

 **"How on earth could you be so daft,"** The demon muttered, apparently having had grown bored of exploring Natsu's subconscious making Natsu sigh, praying to god the demon would be silent during the mission.

'I do not envy her...' Yukiko thought embarrassed as she looked at the blonde, understanding her plight. Yukino's mother was very endowed herself. And Yukino was well aware of the back pains she experienced because of it. She just hoped she wouldn't inherit the same struggle.

"Its too tight," Lucy said with an adorable flush in her cheeks, as her arms vaguely gestured to her torso in an harassed fashion that only left the man even more confused. Luckily, Yukino took pity on him.

"Natsu, the breastplate is too tight for her, it restricts her breathing," Yukino explained making Loki roll his eyes as they watched Natsu stare at Lucy confused, unsure why it was so, for over a minute, before his eyes shot open in embarrassment, a rush of crimson seeping into his cheeks as his gaze shot to his feet.

"Oh, oh! Sorry, uh, Erza might be able to help you with resizing the armor." Natsu said as he continued to stare at his feet, his right hand rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Took you long enough," The demon thought in exasperation, surprised that Natsu could be so pure, making Natsu clench his hand in annoyance, something that went unnoticed to all but Loki.

"Its okay Natsu, are you sure you don't want it back?" Lucy said with a smile on her face, honestly glad Natsu didn't put two and two together. So many men had always asked about her bust size, on the streets, bus, train or bar almost daily. And for Natsu to not even realize her oversized endowments was a breath of fresh air in the stifling heat.

"Nah, Evergreen said it was undignified for her to wear it, I don't know why..." Natsu trailed off making the former playboy sigh, knowing that Natsu most definitely lost his train of thought.

"Natsu why are you here? You know my time is limited," Loki said as he walked right in front of Natsu, staring the saint in the eyes.

"Forgive me, ladies, but I need to talk to Leo, please feel free to stay at my home if you want. And... Stay safe please?" Natsu said as he placed his hand on Loki's shoulder, instantly turning both into flames as the orange-pink flame shot into the woods, leaving two confused, and worried stellar mages on their own.

What he said was not a "bye for now", but almost a goodbye, leaving both women at a loss. Even in such a short amount of time, they had grown attached to the enigmatic dragon's layer.

For Yukino, it was the sense of safety, and the kindness he bestowed upon her. They didn't have to help her, nor did they have to share the reward. When she first met Natsu, he was power and anger. But she soon realized it wasn't anger, but sadness. She looked up to Natsu, admired him more than he realized. She didn't envy his role in the world, and the responsibility constantly on his shoulders. And she respected the fact that still, he always put others before himself, even in death.

For Lucy, it was how he reminded her of her Mother Layla, especially since he now had one of the last objects she could remember her by. She found his stupidity endearing, and his strength comforting. He never stared at her body. He looked her in the eyes, something a man hadn't been able to do for long periods of time since she turned fifteen, always have two reasons not to.

And all that they could think of as they walked to his house, was why he said goodbye.

 **Loki's PoV**

"Natsu, what's going on?" Loki thought worriedly inside the flame, already aware of its properties from talk around the guild.

"I have a mission, one that I can only bring you on... And I honestly need your help," Natsu thought in reply, worrying Loki further as they shot through the trees at insane speeds with squirrels, birds and other animals scurrying in their haste.

"Why me, why not Erza, Gray or even Laxus?" Loki asked a sinking feeling in his stomach, or well, not, since his stomach currently had no physical representation or form.

"Because you're the only one that can help me, as this is a council handed solo mission, I can barely pass you through as a spirit summon," Natsu replied worriedly making Loki

sober up instantly. Any humor or joy he had felt this day was instantly extinguished.

This wasn't a solo mission, the council had given him a suicide mission. But the worrying part was that Loki knew, he KNEW Natsu would never ask him along if he didn't have a reason or chance.

And so he figured out exactly what the mission was. Their conversation a day earlier from the train ride coming to mind.

"You have to take out the Oracion Seis?" Loki whispered as they approached a large home, partially in the trees.

"Unfortunately, those Council bastards. It's a double-edged sword. This is a punishment and a challenge. They said My paralyzing of Aria could not go unpunished. And If I win, I probably get ranked to at least 5th, or even as one of the four. There is no jewel award because this is a sentencing, and if I refuse, its prison for me." Natsu explained as the ball of fire shot towards the front of the house, revealing the home was hidden from in the trees if you were to look from the city, but the backyard was thirty feet off a sturdy cliff edge.

"Why are we here, do we need to get information?" Loki asked curiously as the ball of fire set down on the porch, before reforming into both men.

And he was shocked when Natsu simply walked in, heading straight to the stairs with such authority that Leo quickly realized this must have been Natsu's home.

And so he stayed silent on the porch, assuming that Natsu needed to grab something before leaving, and attempting to ignore the overwhelming fear in his heart.

Until he was called upon, quickly entering the home, closing the door and bolting up the stairs, heading towards Natsu, curious as to why he was called.

And when his eyes caught sight of the room Natsu was in his eyes widened behind his glasses, taking in everything before him.

 **Erza's PoV**

 _'Erza, come in please, Erza?'_ Warren called out, his mind reaching hers through a telepathic link, prompting Erza to stop midway through the tour of Fairy Hills, having had registered both Shiko and Sherry the night before, and was now showing them the location of utilities after introducing them to their own rooms.

Sherry took her hair out of the pigtails, just simply having it down, retaining some natural curls as it flowed down to her mid back. She was wearing a spaghetti strap pink dress, with a repeating black triangle trim and a thick black ribbon hugging her slender waist, acting as a belt. There was a ruffled cut from the middle of her right thigh to the bottom hem of the dress, that ended a few inches above her ankles.

Shiko had not changed her style at all. She was still wearing the brown leather boots, slim black pants, a purple t-shirt, and her usual brown furried cloak with her mint green hair in a simple ponytail. But, she had added her new bow, and quiver to her wardrobe, hanging them on her back with a medicine pouch on her right hip.

The Scarlet knight simply raised her palm, stopping in the middle of the hallway with a confused Shiko and Sherry stopping behind her, knowing by now that she wouldn't do something like that without reason.

 _'Good morning Warren, how may I help you?'_ Erza replied kindly, her respect rising for some of her guildmates after the courage they showed when fighting Phantom.

 _'Can you meet me at Natsu's house, bring Shiko too, please. Natsu has been given his sentence by the council, but we, Merudy, Natsu, and Master, have decided to continue on with her healing process.'_ Warren asked kindly, making Erza's eyes shoot open in shock as she immediately turned to look at the women behind her, not worrying about who this Merudy woman was at the current moment.

"Forgive me Sherry, But Warren requires mine and Shiko's assistance with Ur, who I assume is being brought to Natsu's house. You may come along if you wish, Natsu has been given his sentence from the council." Erza said formally, before running towards the lacrima lift, not wishing to waste her energy running down the stairs since she couldn't just fly straight to Natsu's house, because then how would Shiko get there?

The two women looked at each other confused before running behind Erza, surprising the Titania at how easily Shiko kept up, before entering the lacrima lift, the only thought on their mind, was what the council was forcing Natsu to do.

 **Natsu's PoV**

"Feel free to take whatever you need, we have to find and eliminate the Oracion Seis by the end of the week. They were spotted by the Guild Master of Cait Shelter near the North Waas Forest, so that will be where we go first." Natsu explained as he stood in front of his favorite dragon armor, glad that Makarov had been able to, somehow, fix his armor.

"I don't quite understand what you like about that armor so much," The demon thought curiously making Natsu smile, memories of this bring gifted to him a few years ago coming to mind.

Loki looked around the armory in utter shock, the number of weapons and supplies packed into the room was insane.

Natsu quickly began to put the armor back into his requip space, ignoring Loki's movements around the room as he examined the weapons around the room ranging from swords to spears, rifles to bows.

"Have you ever used a weapon other than your ring magic on earthland?" Natsu asked as he left the empty armor stand, heading towards his organized shelf, grabbing seven rolls of gauze and putting them in his requip space. His hand went towards his Lacrima charges, hoping he still had one left, only for his hand to enter an empty bin, having had used all but one all between fighting Deliora, and Phantom.

This did not bode well.

"See anything you like?" Natsu asks as he turned around seeing that Loki had in fact, not taken any weapons at all, making him frown as he walked to the leader's side.

"Unfortunately, I am not as proficient in combat with a weapon. They're cool, but they wouldn't do me any good," Loki replied as he gave Natsu a side look, before slowly exiting the room, making the slayer sigh as he looked around, hoping that he had picked up some magic weapon or another that could give Loki a boost.

But unfortunately, Natsu was unable to remember a single one, turning and briskly walking out of the room, with the door closing, and looking behind him as he headed towards his kitchen, needing to grab food supplies for their journey.

He was pleasantly surprised to see a large wicker basket, on his counter with a handwritten note slipped halfway under the lid making a smile bloom on Natsu's face.

He approached the basket, carefully removing the note before placing the food in his requip space, wanting to do nothing more than give Mira a great big hug.

 _Dear Natsu_

 _I know you're worried about having to face the Oracion Sies once more, but I know you can win this time. You've grown into an amazing young man, and I'm proud to have you as my boyfriend. I know you can do this, you're the strongest person I know, stronger than Master or Gildarts, because it's your destiny to surpass all of us._

 _I knew from day one_ none _of us would be able to keep up with you, your determination and heart giving you more strength than any of us can imagine. It's okay to be afraid. It's okay to be afraid of losing, but use that fear, its okay to run and fight another day._

 _I'm sorry that I won't be able to say bye before you leave. But its okay because you're going to come back to me right?_

 _Love, Mirajane S_

'God I love that woman,' Natsu thought as he looked across the room, surprised to see that neither Gloria or Kaguranwere present.

Turning the note around in his hands, he was surprised to see another message.

 _Oh, by the way. I took Kagura and Gloria to the Guild to see Master Makarov if need be they need to start building a case against Siegrain, plus he will keep her safe._

 _I love you ~ M_

"Well, that makes sense," Natsu said as he turned around, heading to his front door, and leaving the kitchen now clean.

 **'** Do you have any idea what the Seis is after in the Waas Forest?' Natsu thought, hoping that perhaps the demon would answer

 **"I have a few ideas... Nothing dangerous enough to be worth telling you,"** the demon replied making Natsu roll his eyes, because it's response left him with literally nothing.

'Thank you, for being so helpful,' Natsu thought sarcastically as he exited his home, surprised to see Cana, and Loki talking outside.

 **"Hey, no need to be so rude,"** The demon replied as Natsu closed the door, the sound catching the attention of the mages standing in his front yard.

Fortunately the lush was more appropriately dressed than this morning. She was wearing her favorite tight khaki pants, a slim brown leather belt, and a blue flannel dress shirt, with the first three buttons undone. Hanging from her shoulder was a cute, blue furried bag, looking more like a blue fluff ball, rather than a bag.

"Natsu! I'm so glad I caught you before you left!" The brunette said gleefully as she ran forward, pulling a small envelope out of her satchel.

"I wouldn't leave without saying bye," Natsu said with a smile as he walked down the steps, curious as to why Cana was giving him an envelope.

 **"Oooh, what if its a love letter!"** The demon said in a teasing voice, making Natsu want to punch it in the face, finding the demon to be less a weapon of destruction, and more of an annoying seven-year-old

'Of course, it isn't, Cana knows I'm with Mira," Natsu thought in response.

"I have something for you," Cana said as she stopped two feet from Natsu, before holding out the envelope to the saint, making him look at her confused.

"You didn't need to get me anything," Natsu said with a smile as he grabbed the envelope, his hand instantly burning the envelope away almost like flash paper, leaving a single card in his hand, leaving him confused as he looked at the purple glowing magic circle on the black backing.

He turned the card around, confusion clear on his face as he looked at it until he read the runes inscribed on the top of the card, his face falling in a smile as he looked to the lush, who had an unsure expression on her face.

"A _Call Cana Card..._ Thank you... You didn-" Natsu began only to get cut off by the woman herself.

"I know that you're not allowed to have help on this mission... But the second you need me, just put a little bit of magic in the card and I'll bring the Calvary okay?" Cana said almost bashfully as she tucked her bangs behind her ears, the honesty in her eyes making Natsu's heart melt.

"Thanks, Cana, that really means a lot, and no offense, I hope I don't have to use it," Natsu said with a smile as he stepped forward, his arms enveloping a surprised brunette as he gave her a hug.

She stood stock still for a second, before melting into the hug, resting her head on Natsu's shoulder, wrapping her arms around him and giving him a good squeeze before stepping back and giving him a smile.

 **"Isn't that touching... Do you think she would still smile at you like that if she knew about me? About who you really are?"** The demon questioned, making Natsu want to scream, annoyed that the demon insisted on tormenting him.

The worst part yet was that Natsu honestly wasn't sure, with Mira he was certain she would understand, having inner demons of her own. But Cana? Erza? Gray? Would they still talk, or smile? Or would they hunt him down, like the beast END wanted him to be?

Needless to say, it wasn't a pleasant thought.

And then he began to hear the sound of people running towards him, the breaking of fallen leaves and twigs, the rustling of bushes and footfall in the dirt.

There was clearly more than one person, and he wasn't quite sure who it was... Until the overwhelming scent of Strawberries and graham crackers hit his nose.

It was Erza, but why was she doing running to his house?

 **'It's clearly the telepath, she most likely wants to know what's going on,'** The demon said, surprising Natsu, but in a good way. Perhaps there was a chance they could cohabitate inside his mindscape.

"Calm down, its Erza," Natsu said the second the other two heard her approach, making Cana roll her eyes, honestly excited to see how the scarlet knight would react to the broken system.

"Oh good, Natsu, whats going on?" Erza said as she entered the clearing, gracefully jumping over a bush as she made her entrance, confused when she saw Loki present.

The playboy was not close to Natsu by any means, so why was he here to see him off? Unless...

"I was informed you were heading on a solo mission, but are you taking Loki with you? Do you need my assistance?" Erza asked when Natsu opened his mouth to reply, making the sakura saint want to groan in annoyance while Loki simply puts his hands in his pockets.

"Erza, unfortunately, its more complicated than that. I have to eliminate the Oracion Seis by the end of the week. And Liki has a history with one of their mages-" Natsu attempted to explain only drift off when both Shiko and Sherry entered the clearing.

"Natsu, I cannot allow Loki to accompany you, I cannot believe you would take him to his death-" Erza berated making The others watch in pity because Natsu clearly didn't have enough on his plate.

But Cana, however, was more than happy to fill her in on everything she has missed.

"Erza! Do you know who Loki is?" Cana barked, cutting Erza off as she stared at Cana shocked that the lush would argue with her like that.

"Greetings Erza, you may now me simply as Loki, but that was simply a ploy to hide my identity. Leo the Lion, leader of the twelve Zodiac, pleased to meet you." Loki introduced as he walked to the armored mage, extending his right hand to the shocked Titania, who looked around to everyone, getting a confirming nod from everyone present.

"I'm sorry, are you saying that you are one of this spirit summon's?" Shiko asked as she entered the clearing, with Sherry by her side, somehow her dress still looking as clean as it had before their cross-city trek.

"That would be correct. Long story short, The Oracion Seis killed my caster and I am forever bound to Earthland until I can get vengeance." Loki explained making Erza sigh in acceptance.

"I assume that explains your absence?" Erza asked as she looked him in the eye, watching as he nodded.

And on the drop of a hat, Erza had lunged at Loki, sword in hand as she attempted to attack him, only to smirk as he sidestepped her, and throwing a right cross at the back of her head, only for her to roll forward, three swords shooting towards him making the man smirk as he ran to the side, shocking Sherry at the speed he reached as he attempted to punch her as she recovered, his fist meeting the flat of her sword.

The clearing was silent except for their heavy breathing, but one look at Sherry's scared expression sent Cana into a fit of laughter, making the pink haired woman blush as Natsu rolled his eyes.

"So? Is he allowed to come then? I'm really short on time Erza." Natsu asked exasperatedly as he watched the knight nod, her swords disappearing back into her requip space as she sheathed her sword.

"I allow it," Erza said with a nod making Shiko throw her hands in the air out of annoyance, something she ignored as she then turned Natsu, walking towards the saint, with a soft look in her eyes.

"Do you want me help?" Erza said when she was a foot away from him, her chocolate brown eyes meeting his onyx black, making Cana roll her eyes in annoyance.

"Erza! C'mon, we already said it was" Cana began, only to shut up when Erza rose her hand in the air, without even turning to her.

"I didn't ask if you were allowed my help, I asked if you _wanted_ my help. I'm not about to let a friend get sent to his death because of some stupid rules." Erza explained, looking for any sign of uncertainty on his features.

"Erza, I should be okay, the second shit hits the fan I'll give Cana a call and you can come running okay? This is something I need to do. We need to get closure for Karen," Natsu said as he broke their eye contact to look over her shoulder at Loki, who nodded his head in agreement.

"Very well," Erza said as she turned around to look at his house, giving it a once over before nodding her head in approval.

"Has Warren arrived with Ur yet?" Erza asked as she approached his door, her overwhelming confidence beginning to annoy Shiko and Cana. Sherry just didn't know what to think of the dynamic.

"Nah, head inside and wait there, foods in the kitchen. Just please don't go snooping around?" Natsu asked worriedly, just praying none of them found his safe _._

 _"_ Of course not, be safe," Erza said as she opened the door, turning her head to meet Natsu's eye as she muttered the last bit, making Natsu's eyes widen before a smile grew on his face.

"When am I not?" Natsu said as Loki walked forward, sensing that it was finally time to leave, the suspense about to kill him as he stopped by Natsu's side, putting his hand on the pinkettes shoulder.

And in an instant they were gone, a ball of fire shooting towards the sky, fast than Erza had ever seen and shot in a North North West direction.

"I'm going to follow him," Erza said as she exited his home not even a minute after she entered, confident Natsu couldn't hear her.

"What?!" Shiko and Cana shouted in annoyance as they stared at the confident scarlet knight.

"Natsu cannot fail, for a head of the Balam alliance to show its face? It has to be big. If Natsu is to fail, God forbid whatever hell ascends to Earthland." Erza explained making Cana actually consider her words.

If they had a group of mages sitting back to help restrain, and perform damage control, the mission could almost go off as a sting.

It was actually a good idea, one Cana wouldn't mind stepping in on.

"I agree, let's talk to master," Cana agreed, making Shiko roll her eyes, carefully entering Natsu's home to wait for Warren and Ur.

 **Natsu's PoV**

'I don't remember whether or not I told you, but we are going to head to the Guild Cait Shelter first, see if they know anything that Levy could research.' Natsu informed as they shot over the ground, covering thousands of feet per minute.

'Wait, Levy? You asked her to do research or something?' Loki asked confused as they shot over Onibus city, making Loki realize he was following the railroad to Clover Town, before heading north to Cait Shelter.

'Yes, not knowing why the Oracion Seis would let themselves be spotted is worrying me. With their skill sets they should never be caught...' Natsu replied, worrying more about speed rather than saving magic.

'Can you give me a rundown of their members? I wasn't there when Karen-' Loki trailed off, too upset to try and finish that sentence. His entire existence was to assist and protect not only the spirits in his domain but the casters who call upon them.

And because of his duty, he had to choose between both. He would never have thought that Karen would take a risk like that.

'Right, hmm. Hot-eye is by far the weakest in their Guild, he uses a unique technique where he liquifies the ground. However, I am almost certain he would have improved the most. Generally, when dark mages lose a fight, they loose their lives.' Natau replied as they exites Onibus, following the train tracks towards kunugi station.

'I dont like those odds, he's probably been replaced then hasn't he.' Loki thought in response making Natsu sigh, the truth of his statement being all too real.


	52. Fear of the Unknown

And onto the story!

 **Natsu's PoV**

"I want to warn you right now, they have a dragon slayer of their own, but his deadliest magic is his sound magic.' Natsu said, shocking Loki in more ways than one. But the weirdest thing was how he explained it, making it very dramatic.

'Let me guess, it only enhances his dragon slayer senses?' Loki asked in bemusement, making Natsu "aye" as they neared Oshibani station.

'Further than that even. He can read your mind to the point that he can read your every move, and avoid your every attack.' Natsu replied as they crossed over the city limits, finally passing into Oshibani, this time catching the eyes of some of the city people.

'Lovely, who should I take?' Loki asked making Natsu ponder in silence for a few seconds before responding.

'Definitely not Racer, his speed magic is honestly scary, probably Hot Eye, or Angel.' Natsu decided as they passed over Oshibani station, realizing that a train was leaving, which indicated that it was about eleven in the morning.

'Who's this angel chick?' Loki asked intrigued making Natsu sigh.

'The one who is most likely responsible for Karen's death.' Natsu replied morosely, and silence overcame them.

But Natsu needed to finish, they were about a third of the way to the Cait Shelter guild.

'She will more than likely be in the possession of Karen's keys, you need to be prepared to fight those you were created to protect. And if you can't, then please deal with the sub-guilds that will likely be crawling around.' Natsu urged, worried when Loki remained silent.

'No, I need to do this,' Loki spoke up as they began to leave Oshibani.

'I need to finally get closure, I need to do this.' Loki said resolutely, the amount of resolve in his voice admirable, but the desperation... That worried Natsu the most.

'Very well. Continuing on, Brain, their leader, uses a very strong darkness magic, but his greatest asset is his knowledge. And then you have Midnight.' Natsu paused, making Loki want to scream from the unintentional suspense Natsu provided.

'Midnight is interesting, to say the least. He seems to use a form of spatial magic, that lets him redirect attacks

I've honestly never seen anything like it.' Natsu attempts to explain, leaving Loki with next, to no information whatsoever.

'So that's it? Just six members? How strong are they?" Loki asked worried, making Natsu sigh.

'I honestly couldn't tell you... Last time we fought, they were all on par with Gray as he is right now.' Natsu answered as silence once again overcame them, both of them hoping to avoid a direct confrontation.

 **Shiko's PoV**

The healers head shot up when she heard the door to Natsu's home open, setting down the book she had with her and approaching the door, glad to see that it was Gray, Ur, Juvia, Warren, and a pink-haired woman she didn't recognize.

"Took you long enough, how's she been?" Shiko's asked as she walked back into the kitchen, stepping back so a tired Gray could carry Ur inside and set her on the lazy boy, his memory flashing back to the night before when Kagura awoke on this very same chair.

Hopefully, history will repeat itself.

"She's doing fine, her mind is a mess though," Warren replied as he stepped forward, holding his hand out to the green haired nomad.

"You might have heard my name, but I never introduced myself. My name is Warren Rocko." The telepath said as Shiko shook his hand.

"Shiko Higoshi, and you are?" The healer asked as she turned to the pink haired woman, curious as to why she was here.

"I am Merudy Milkovich," the woman replied regally as she stepped forward, making Shiko quirk a brow.

"Ultear rescued me when a dark guild razed my village, you could say I'm adopted," Merudy said with a smile and shrug, causing Shiko to smile as she approached the unconscious Ice Mage.

"Where is Erza? I thought she would be here," Warren asked as he grabbed one of the chairs from Natsu's island and carries it over to the back of The lazy boy, taking a seat as Gray lowered the back, until Warren could comfortably continue reorganizing her subconscious, and consciousness.

He thought about what could have been going on as he walked over. People usually have two states of mind. Conscious, and subconscious. But with Ur, it was as if they were muddled, and mixed together.

"She, along with Sherry and Cana headed to the guild to talk to Master. Apparently, they intend to shadow Natsu and make sure his mission goes smoothly, as long as they get permission," Shiko replied as she moved a chair over to Ur, sitting a foot away from her left hand.

"Juvia is confused, isn't that going against the rules of his mission?" The Bluenette pondered making Merudy sigh as she stood beside Shiko.

"That is, but, as long as the council is none the wiser it should work," the pinkette informed prompting Shiko to look at the beautiful pinkette.

"I may also be councilor Milkovich's emissary from the council?" The young woman offered causing Shiko to sigh, already having a very, bad opinion of the council when they tried to _convince_ her to work for them, her healing magic being very unique.

"Is everyone ready?" Warren asked as he rested his hands on both sides of Ur's head, before Juvia spoke up from her seat on the couch, making Warren look to her.

"Please ask if Erza requires Juvia's help? Natsu-sama was the first person to treat Juvia like a person in a very long time. Usually, people would bully and shun Juvia because of her unending rain, but Natsu-sama brought sunlight into Juvia's life." The bluenette said confidently, making Shiko roll her eyes, annoyed at the cliche, and how this seemed so unreal.

Warren simply nodded, knowing that Natsu would need all the help he could get, and Juvia was S-Class in Phantom, a title that could carry on to Fairy Tail, he was unsure though.

Merudy was stunned. This dragon slayer was seemingly attracting practically every woman he met, without even purposely trying to do so. He was a genuinely nice person, she just wasn't sure how this would all work out.

They couldn't all share him, could they? How would that even work!

 **Erza's PoV**

 **"** Master!" The stoic knight called out as they reached Fairy Tail's grounds, causing all guildmates present to turn to her, curious what she would ask.

"Yes, my girl?" Makarov asked curiously as he took a sip from his mug of beer, before setting it on his lap, the mug almost being half of Makarov's torso.

"I trust you are aware of Natsu's current predicament?" Erza queried as she propped her right hand on her hip making Makarov roll his eyes when he noticed Cana and Sherry standing behind her.

"Yes, I am quite aware of his job. I hope you don't intend on breaking the rules?" Makarov asked calmly as he met Erza's gaze, seeing the barely hidden worry in her eyes.

 _'Hey Erza, sorry to interrupt, I promise it's the last time, but Juvia wished to offer her assistance if Natsu were to need it. I will keep the connection open for a few minutes before starting the procedure if everyone agrees to it.'_ Warren proposed making a smile grow on Erza's face, because they could definitely use someone of her strength, but hopefully they would not need it.

"Not completely. I propose a "clean up crew", so to speak. They would ensure damages and defeated members did not go too far." Erza proposed confidently making Makarov ponder her words.

It's true that the possible damages would be immense, especially since Natsu would not be holding back. And when you defeat someone, you can't always tie them up and restrain them before moving on, sometimes you have to jump right in the next battle.

He, admittedly, never had expected any of his children to purposely put themselves in a position of danger like that for Natsu, the tension that had been growing for years would not be easy to dispel.

But it was also true that it's hard to dislike someone who fought for their life by your side, and fought for you, keeping you out of harm.

"And how far away would you be? Could you promise you wouldn't be spotted or captured? Natsu would willingly let himself be restrained to get any of you back. Can you risk that? Watching as the Oracion Seis execute him?" Makarov asked making Sherry look at her feet while Cana sighed, losing some of her confidence.

Because he was right, they couldn't promise that. And while they wanted to help Natsu, they couldn't promise that it wouldn't backfire.

But Erza would not back down, because she knew Natsu would be there right by any of their sides, not being able to watch anyone get hurt.

It was one of the reasons she changed her mind about him so quickly. With both Phantom and Deliora he put himself between his friends and the danger they faced, determined to keep them safe, even when they had never truly done right by him.

She had to do this, as a way to repent for her scornful gaze, and her attitude, two things someone like him never deserved.

"Perhaps not, however, even so, if Natsu falls and there is nobody there to stop the Oracion Seis, what happens next? What if they reach their objective?" Erza countered making Makarov smirk, if only in fear.

She was clearly attempting to use the logic for the greater good in an attempt to sway his mind. And what was worse, was that she was right. They cannot have the Seis go unopposed.

"Very well. But I only want a small group of people going, no more than five," Makarov decided making Sherry smile and Cana give a celebratory whoop.

"Very well, Juvia also offered her assistance, and we would gladly have her company." Erza informed with a smile prompting Makarov to quirk a brow before smiling, having had thought he had sensed Warren's magic signature.

"I concur, anyone else?" Makarov asked as he took another sip of beer, unable to ignore the happiness in his chest that Natsu had finally won some of the guild over.

"Not unless we find them on our travels, no. Thank you Master," Erza said as she turned around, with a smiling Sherry and victorious Cana in tow, glad they had let Erza do the talking.

Plus, it was going to be a fun day, even with all the stress.

 _'Warren? Operation Salamander is a go,'_ Erza commented with a smirk on her face as she lead the way towards the train station.

 _'Umm, Erza, what's operation Salamander?'_ Warren asked dumbly making Erza roll her eyes in annoyance.

 _'Just have Juvia meet me at the train station!'_ Erza replied annoyed, sighing when Warren severed the telepathic link.

 **Loki's PoV**

 **"** You've been a Saint for a few years now, do you at least have any idea as to what the Seis may be going after?" Loki asked worriedly as they passed finally made it over the Clover Chasm, meaning they were that much closer to the Cait Shelter Guildhall.

Honestly, Loki was very impressed, in almost ten minutes, they had traversed a quarter of the way across Fiore, it was simply astonishing.

And given by how they didn't seem to slow, Loki was positive that Natsu was around eighty-five, to ninety-five percent full on his magic container.

"Not a damn clue! I was hoping that gramps may have had an idea, but no luck it seems." Natsu responded in annoyance, knowing that Master would have told them something with the stakes this high.

But the council probably knew what they were after, which is why they risked using him. Smart tactic, but goddammit he was allowed to be mad when he got the butt of it

"Are we allowed to ask for assistance, or get help from the Cait Shelter Guild?" Loki asked, hoping they could at least have more bodies to spread the damage around.

It was a cruel, brutal ideal, but the honest truth was that as long as Natsu could fight, they had a chance of winning. And the Oracion Seis knows that as well.

"Not really, but at this point, if they offer help via a guide, I won't say no." Natsu replied allowing Loki to relax a bit, now praying to whatever deities still exist that they had some unheard of S-Class mage.

And then they fell into silence, both mages attempting to find their composure and confidence, even though the odds weren't in their favor, they had been at worse before.

They had a chance, so why were the acting as if they were heading to their deaths?

"What's the plan here then? You plan to take them all on like you did with the Element Four?" Loki asked after they began nearing the Cait Shelter Guild hall, both mages having had been caught in their own minds for about four minutes.

"Honestly, I hope to pick them off one by one, Racer first, he's the most annoying," Natsu commented as he began to slowly lessen the very small flow of magic he had put upon them.

See, he had integrated the ideals of encompassing flame into Flaming Steps, thus letting him move small groups of people around.

It didn't give him any control other than speed and trajectory, just like his own flaming steps. This is why it took such a small draw in comparison to the encompassing flames, simply because it was a watered down, simple, version.

"And what if you can't?" Loki asked worriedly, beginning to realize that there _really was_ no plan. And that wasn't even on Natsu's fault either. They didn't know where they were, or what they were after.

And they didn't even have equal numbers.

"Look, Loki, I get you may be worried, but you have to realize by now you're easily as strong as Gray or Erza magic wise, I felt how large your container was. Fight smart, run if you have to." Natsu explained despondent as they continued to slow down, a large wooden building coming into view, only about a few hundred kilometers away or so now.

"Natsu, I can't abandon you, and I know that's what you're asking. I am your spirit, your summon, currently... Remember that." Loki responded determinedly, unaware of just how happy that made Natsu, to finally have someone stand by his side.

"Then promise me that if I tell you to run, you run." Natsu said as they neared closer and closer, unaware that they had caught someone's attention, still about two hundred kilometers away, but that still enough for someone to see a ball of fire, shooting towards them.

Well, for some people anyways.

"I don't know if I can do that Natsu, I don't know if I can just leave you to your death, or worse," Loki replied after about a minute or so.

"But I can't let you get caught up in my attacks either," Natsu brought up, shocking Loki. He hadn't even considered that, sure, they heard about what happened on Galuna Island a

... He _melted_ a fucking mountain.

"Okay, but the second your attacks over I'll come back and help out," Loki replied determinedly, which made him think of when he first started going on quests with Gildarts.

He had been the exact same way, far too loyal and determined to believe that they couldn't keep up, that they would, In fact, be strong enough to remain part of the fight.

And there was only once that he wasn't strong enough. And his loyalty almost cost himself an arm but had also saved Gildarts life.

They then remained silent as they neared the guild hall, it's smaller stature becoming more apparent the closer they got. And then Loki remembered the fact that Cait Shelter was the smallest legal guild, sometimes even being forgotten about, outshined by guilds like Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, and Fairy Tail.

"Alrighty, let's pray that their guild master is present, and hope to Mavis that Levy has some information for us," Natsu said as he directed them towards the ground, noticing that it's guild members had begun pooling out of the hall, watching as a ball of fire about four feet in diameter began to slow down, before touching down on the ground about twelve feet in front of them.

They watched in amazement as the ball of fire began to split up, before solidifying into two separate people, one of them was very easy to recognize, their white Wizard Saint Cloak on their shoulders, and Salmon with black tipped hair was the most iconic part about them.

It was the Salamander, the youngest man to ever become a Wizard Saint, three years before Siegrain himself, and a man that had truly earned the title of the Fire Dragon Prince, if that little display was anything to go by.

The other man, however, was not as well known, or impressive. The sheer second he was reverted to his own body, his legs gave out from under himself. And the only reason he was able to remain standing was the firm grip The Salamander had on the man's shoulder.

 **Natsu's PoV**

"Hello, My name Is Natsu Dragneel, I have a question for your Master... Is he here?" The Salamander said in a low tenor voice, instantly showing humility, as he hadn't expected them to know of his tales of triumph and glory.

'What is that smell... It's so familiar but I just can't place it...' Natsu thought worriedly as his eyes scanned over the small crowd in front of the cat-shaped Guildhall, his eyes lingering on blue hair for a second before moving on.

"What do you ask, my name is Roubaul, leader of this small guild, how may I aid you, fire dragon prince?" A small old man said as he walked through the crowd to the front, the man's stature reminding Natsu of Makarov as he looked down on him.

Roubaul was about three' eight, but his age meant he was no less capable. His lack of shirt revealed his surprisingly toned chest, showing that he attempted to keep in shape. His bald head was covered by a large, indigenous chief hat, with Pink and Red Flowers spanning from shoulder to shoulder. He had large, bushy white eyebrows that trailed onto his sideburns that grew into a large, white beard.

"Oh, I was sent here by the council... They had mentioned you saw the Oracion Seis in the Waas Forest?" Natsu mentioned as he scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment, not having had expected someone would recognize him just by name or face.

"Hmm, yes, I made that report a few days ago, come," Roubaul said as he turned around, parting through the crowd with each step as he led Natsu and Loki into his Guildhall, wanting to have a safe place to discuss these matters.

And they both missed the pair of brown eyes staring at them in amazement, the respect and awe on their face a very adorable mixture.

"Please, may I get you anything to eat or drink?" Roubaul offered as they entered his Guildhall, the entire building itself being about as large as Natsu's own home, something that made Natsu remember just how lucky he was.

"No thank you, we have packed for the trip," Natsu answered with a smile making Roubaul nod his head as they lead him and Loki to the largest table in the middle of the room.

"Very well, are we to expect any more of your guildmates to be showing up?" Roubaul asked as he sat in his special chair at the head of the table, allowing him to sit at equal eye levels to his guests.

"No sir, just us two," Natsu replied respectfully, prompting Roubaul's bushy white eyebrows to begin their ascent up his forehead.

"You sure that's a good idea kid?" Roubaul asked worriedly as his eyes traveled to the front doors of his hall, noticing a certain head of blue hair, and frowned.

"No sir, but my hands are tied as of late... Is there anything you can tell us about where they might be or what they're after? The council told us nothing," Natsu asked hopefully, needing something good right now.

"That is most unusual..." Roubaul said as he considered his next actions, rubbing the hair on his chin.

'This man is a Wizard Saint... And if rumors are to be true, he has a fire that can literally burn magic. He might just be the one I've been looking for... But there has to be something going on with the council as well.' Roubaul pondered worriedly, unsure if he should speak the truth here and now, or hide it and-

"Wendy! Come here please, I need your help," Roubaul called out kindly, a blue head of hair shooting up instantly before the woman slowly made her way over.

And the closer the blue-haired woman got, the more her scent assaulted his senses, the familiar presence she carried infuriating him as he attempted, and failed to recognize what it was about her that made his magic cry out.

She was about sixteen or seventeen, standing at five' three, her long blue hair tied in two long pigtails at the side of her head, with thick bangs framing her face.

She was wearing a simple red dress shirt, with a huge orange bow pinned to her breastbone. A white line traveled down her sleeves from her shoulders, matching the white strip going an inch above the hem of her navy blue skirt.

But what instantly caught his eyes was the flying white cat behind her wearing a collared red dress, pink skirt and yellow tie... 'Just like Happy!' Natsu thought as he looked at her slack-jawed, having had never thought he would have seen another cat like his surrogate son.

'Just who is she?' Loki thought as he made the same connection Natsu did.

"Salamander, this is my strongest mage, Wendy Marvell," Roubaul announced, a large blush inflaming her cheeks due to his words, and irritating a certain white cat.

"Master, please refrain from embarrassing Wendy in front of guests," The cat said annoyed, which didn't help the bluenette case at all, In fact, he had the opposite effect, just making her blush deepen further.

"Charle! Forgive me! It's an honor to meet you Salamander," the Bluenette said as she fell to her knees in a bow, making Natsu's eyes shoot open in shock.

'No way...' Natsu thought astonished as he stood up from his seat, walking around to stand before Wendy, before taking a knee and placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Rise, little dragon, I do not hold the throne yet, that respect is due to my father and not me," Natsu said as he looked the woman in the eyes, his onyx eyes meeting her brown, as he confirmed his suspicion.

The bluenette smiled up at him as she stood up, excitement practically leaking out of her as she restrained herself from tackling him.

Because he was her icon, her goal. The strongest Dragon Slayer to walk the earth since the Dragon war was standing in front of her, and all she wanted to do is scream.

"What is your domain, young one," Natsu asked making Loki want to roll his eyes. By the looks of it, Natsu was only four years older than the girl and he was treating her like a child.

"My mother was Grandine, your Highness," Wendy said bashfully as she tangled her hands before her in an attempt to quell her nerves.

Needless to say, it was in vain. He was much kinder... And attractive in person. And the way her magic reacted to him...

"Enough with the titles, sky dragon, for I have not earned them yet. Sit, please, and join us," Natsu replied with a smile as he walked back to his seat, Wendy's eyes following him the entire way as he sat, before sitting down herself.

"Where should I look?" Natsu asked curiously making Roubaul sigh as he rubbed his magnificent white beard.

"I saw them in the north-west part of the forest, Wendy, do you think you will be able to lead the Prince and his friend through the forest?" Roubaul asked kindly, hoping that maybe, just maybe after all this was over he could finally rest in peace, and be free from the burden on his shoulders alone.

"Yes master," Wendy said with a small blush on her cheeks as she looked down at her hands, happier than ever that she got to help her idol, and future king.

"Are you sure this is safe? I'm certain Wendy is strong, but will she be safe? Plus I think I would be able to track them down if need be," Natsu asked worriedly, not wanting Wendy to get hurt, but Roubaul overlooked his question.

"Sometimes the forest is very hard to navigate, but since Wendy knows the forest so well she can save you some time," Roubaul replied, unaware that warning signals were going off in Natsu's head.

"Forgive me, Master Roubaul, but I feel like there's something you're not telling me, do you know what they're after?" Natsu asked as he narrowed his eyes, his strong senses practically making him a human lie detector.

His strong nose could smell the sweat rolling down the back of his neck, his eyes noticing the hesitancy in his form, and ears hearing the rapid increase of heart rate, but something was off. The reaction was too good, perfect, _clinical_.

"Hmph... You're a smart kid Salamander, too good for your own good. Do I know for certain what they seek? Perhaps not, but you are correct I wasn't telling you everything," Roubaul replied, trying to ignore Wendy's large Brown eyes staring at the side of his head.

"Then what aren't you telling me? Any information could mean the difference between life or death, for me, Loki, or anyone else in their path." Natsu asked determinedly, while the other two mages watched on in worry.

"Salamander! I do not care who you are, that does not give you the right to,-" the white cat ranted making Loki look at her as if she'd grown a second head, while Wendy looked on, embarrassed.

"Charle! Forgive me, your Highness, she did-" Wendy rambled, attempting to explain that her cat really did mean nothing bad by what she said, but was quickly cut off by Natsu's raised hand.

"No, Wendy it's alright. Charle, I'm sorry you are right. But I have to head in, solo, to take their entire guild out by sundown on Sunday, so forgive me for being rude, I really am just on a time crunch." Natsu explained honestly, making the cat cross her arms in annoyance while Wendy nodded her head in agreement.

"If you have to complete the mission solo, then why is Loki with you?" Roubaul asked curiously, making Natsu sigh as he looked at the orange haired playboy in the eyes before nodding.

"Loki, how about you and Wendy head outside and get to know each other okay? I have some questions I would like to ask your Master," Natsu asked kindly, his narrowed eyes train on Roubaul, prompting Wendy, Loki and Charla to get up from their seats and nervously head outside, worried about what would happen next.

 **Shiko's PoV**

Shiko watched worriedly as she saw Warren's hands shakily pull away, tears running down his face as he stared down at the woman in front of him, making both Merudy and Gray panic.

"What happened, is she?!" They practically shouted in unison, only to be cut off by Shiko who was staring at Warren, a frown on her face.

"No, she's alright. If I had a guess, I'd have to say that one of her memories was a bit too emotional," Shiko said softly as she looked at Ur, searching for any sign that she was any closer to waking up.

Warren struggled to draw breath, almost hyperventilating from the pure emotion in the memory, as he took deep breaths, attempting to calm himself down.

"U-Ultear... How d-id she sur-vive?" Warren croaked out as he looked up at Merudy and Gray, tears continuing to roll down his face as he attempted to come to terms with the amount of pain she went through.

"She... She didn't die. The man who ran the research facility wanted to study her, _torture_ her, so they faked her death. She broke out about a year after to try and find Ur..." Merudy described, her eyes tearing up as she looked down at the woman below herm

"Only to see her having had taken in both me and Lyon right?" Gray asked as he looked down at his master, wanting to do nothing more than to kill the man who would tear a child away from her mother.

"...Yes... She hated you two, at one point she wanted to kill you, you had stolen her mother away, replacing her... And then you got her killed." Merudy explained, beginning to cry and making Shiko frown, her heart going out to this torn family.

"... I can't blame her, at least her anger now makes sense," Gray said morosely as he ran his hand through his hair, while Merudy simply nodded, too emotional to say anything else.

"I'm almost done... I... I can't risk organizing her memory, lest she remembers things in the wrong order, she's going to have to do that on her own. I will be able to help her... I'm just going to finish organizing her subconscious." Warren relayed making both Gray and Merudy look at him astonished.

For it had only been about an hour.

 **Wendy's PoV**

Both spirit and slayer had been standing outside the guild hall awkwardly, unsure what to speak of, while the cat simply rested in Wendy's arms, too annoyed to break the ice for Wendy.

"So," Loki suddenly said, Wendy's eyes shooting to him in surprise, "you're a dragon slayer huh?" Loki asked as he placed his hands in his pockets, quickly realizing Wendy would not be the one to start a conversation.

"Yeah! I am the Sky Dragonslayer," Wendy announced proudly, a huge grin on her face as she squeezed Carle slightly to her chest.

"There's that dragon slayer pride I've come to know," Loki said with a smile, surprised how he was acting around her.

Sure, being a player was more of him trying to come to grips with Karen's death, but he was still a huge flirt. The girl was just too goddamn adorable.

"Wait, Natsu isn't the only slayer you know?" Wendy asked shocked as she appeared inches away from Loki, which made him realize she was only about five inches shorter than him.

"You hadn't heard? We had a pretty tough run-in with Phantom Lord, including Black Steel Gajeel, the Iron Dragonslayer," Loki said with a smile, finding it refreshing how he didn't feel the need to brag, or impress Wendy.

"Woah! Did you all fight?" Wendy asked amazed as she stared at Loki, her eyes full of awe and suspense as she waited for his response.

"That's right kiddo, Natsu practically defeated their entire guild single-handedly," Loki replied honestly, having had never felt ashamed of himself for losing their fight, but disappointed in himself that they had gotten Lucy.

"No way?! Really?" Wendy asked amazed, while Charle scoffed in disgust, seeing Loki's presence for something other than it was.

To her, Loki was the bard, and Natsu the hero. Natsu would save a life, and Loki would tell it to all that would listen. She was worried that Wendy would be too caught up admiring a fraud to learn and grow.

"Excuse me?" Loki asked strangely, worried that Charle was coughing, or confused as to why she would denote his statement.

"I find it highly unlikely that a man of his age would be able to defeat not only Phantoms Element four, Jose Porla the Saint ranked _just_ below Natsu, and Black Steel Gajeel," Carla said as she flew out of Wendy's arms right up into Loki's face making the man frown.

"Charle! I don't think that Loki would lie about that right? Plus Natsu _is_ stronger than Jose." Wendy argued, a small frown on her face as she looked at Loki, a small voice inside of her praying, that he wasn't lying to her.

"Carla is it? I promise you that I am not lying, in fact, Phantom Lord was disbanded because of the fight too, it's not in the news because the council is trying to keep a cap on the information. But ask anyone in Magnolia, and you'll find that I wasn't lying." Loki attempted to explain, only for Carla to roll her eyes in annoyance.

"Its Charle! And what about Fairy Tail? A guild without rules destroying _everything,_ why weren't they disbanded?" Charle argued making Wendy sigh, knowing that she was only doing this for her.

'Why am I too trusting, Charle always says it's bad, but what if she was right about Natsu after all? Just bring one of those celebrities that let fame get to their head...' Wendy thought despondently, only for her head to shoot up when she heard her guild door open, ignoring the ensuing discussion between Loki and Charle.

 **Natsu's PoV**

"Hey! Loki! What on earth are you doing?" Natsu cried out as he walked out of the guild, annoyed to see an argument had already broke out.

"You! I demand that you stop planting lies in Wendy's head! She is far too trusting for her own good!" Charle exclaimed confusing Natsu, and aggravating Loki further.

"For crying out loud! I'm not lying! Natsu took out Phantoms elite-" Loki ranted, only to stop when a gag of fire appeared in his mouth, making Loki look at Natsu annoyed, while Wendy watched on in amazement.

"Charle is it?" Natsu asked politely as he put his hands in the pockets of his cloak, making the white cat glare at him in appreciation.

"That is correct," The white cat replied in a snooty tone, making Natsu smile.

"We have a mission to complete, maybe you can pass judgment after we finish, and then you can decide whether or not we're lying. Does that seem fair?" Natsu asked as he cocked his head to the side, making Wendy want to squeal in appreciation.

The man was honestly too cute for his own good.

"That is acceptable... However, I ask that you not share any more stories with Wendy until I decide," Charle replied in such a way that Loki wanted to tear his hair out in annoyance and scream to the heavens until he was bald and dead.

"Deal, now may we please continue with the mission?" Natsu asked as he turned to Wendy, the gag disappearing from Loki's mouth.

"Y-yes! We s-hall!" Wendy announced adorably as she closed her eyes, the wind beginning to flow through her, instead of around her, shocking Natsu at the technique before she opened her eyes.

"This way," Wendy announced as she began to walk towards the forest, a surprising confidence on her face making Charle proud as they began to follow the sky dragon into the forest.

 **Charlie's PoV**

'The boy might have been telling the truth,' Charle thought confused as she crossed her arms over he chest, now being held in Wendy's arms, the number of branches almost tearing and catching Charlie's dress.

'If he had cared about recognition and fame, he never would have let what I said slide, and he especially wouldn't have agreed to not tell stories for the foreseeable future either,' The cat thought confused as they worked their way deeper and deeper into the forest.

"S-o... W-hat were you an-d master talk-ing about?" Wendy asked nervously as she clutched her only parental figure to her chest, the cat.

"He was worried, asking why only two mages would be sent to deal with one of the strongest dark guilds," Natsu replied as he stared forward, not telling the _full_ truth.

That was something he was sure Wendy wasn't ready for, and he definitely didn't want to ruin her confidence or focus before any fighting had even begun.

"And why are you here exactly? When there are other strong mages like the Titania, the Rajinshu tribe, and even your ace" Charle asked skeptically making Natsu smirk, while Loki decided to remain silent, not wanting to start another argument with that bitch of a cat, surprised something so rude could help make someone as kind as Wendy.

"I can't tell you that," Natsu replied making Charle want to scream in annoyance, the reason why they were here being of huge significance to Charle.

"And why is that?" Charle replied, the edge to her tone making Loki roll his eyes, doing his very best to ignore the fur ball.

"Because I would then break our deal," Natsu replied simply making Charle sigh, her logic finding it very hard to believe that he had beat them all, but he was a dragon slayer.

It could be possible he was able to consume large amounts of fire in between each fight, thus making it reasonable to assume he truly did defeat them on his own. Perhaps that was even Loki's purpose of being here. To literally fuel Natsu's fire.

It was a believable thought.

"Very well, our deal is on hold so you can tell us why you're n-" Charle demanded, only for her mouth to be covered in a gag of fire, making her want to scream and claw at Natsu for daring to do such a thing, until Wendy also tapped Charle three times on the left shoulder.

And the cat instantly shut up, because it was their signal that someone was watching, that they were being followed, or that they even sensed someone nearby.

Wendy closed her eyes, attempting to focus solely on her hearing to increase their strength, while Natsu simply looked around, his eyes turning to slits as he scanned the forest, not needing to focus on either sense, their strength more than enough separately than to need to lose one and narrow his abilities.

And then he heard it and felt it.

"Wendy Jump!" Natsu cried out as he levitated off of the floor, the earth beneath their feet having had turned to liquid.

And then one of the other struck, the accelerating sound of footfalls on the ground making Natsu coat his hands in fire, while Loki jumped into a tree, keeping his eyes locked on the girl.

A second after they jumped Racer had struck, before Wendy even realized he was there, the speed he was moving practically making it appear as if he teleported, only for his haymaker to be caught in Natsu's hand, twin gale's of wind tearing through the ground behind her making her look at both men, scared for her life.

" _Fire Dragons Grip Strike,"_ Natsu growled, an explosion of flames propelling Racer backward, his hand burnt as he shot towards a tree, only for the man to recover, flipping and landing on his feet with an ugly scowl on his face.

 _"Fire make; Dome!"_ Natsu called out not even a second after his first attack slamming his foot on the ground as a dome of fire covered Wendy, a huge blast of energy slamming into the dome not even a second later, the concussive force sending Natsu sliding as his feet dug into the ground.

Racer shot back the second the Dome took a hit, shooting forward with twelve inch Kurama's in each hand, intending to slice Natsu into millions of pieces.

 _"Twister!"_ Loki called out as he jumped from his perch in the tree, his ring glowing on his right hand as he shot on a crash course for Racer, only releasing his magic seconds before impact, his right fist impacting the dark mages head and sending the man flying.

Natsu raised a brow, curious as to how he had actually managed to land a hit on Racer, before smirking, hearing the mages pull back, with Racer flipping around and disappearing from sight.

"What was that?!" Charle screamed, forcing Natsu and Wendy to cover their ears in pain, while Loki rolled his eyes.

"That was three members of the Oracion Seis, the good thing is it seems we're heading in the right way," Natsu said as he requipped two canteens, tossing one to Loki, and holding the other out to Wendy.

She quickly took it from his hands, before taking a drink, releasing a relieved sigh before holding it down to Charle, who shook her head in refusal.

"Why did they leave? How did they know we were here? Can I go home?!" Wendy blurted out, making Natsu smile as he requipped her canteen back.

"They were simply testing us out," Natsu replied as he gestured for Wendy to continue leading them forward, who very hesitantly did, her eyes shooting around nervously anticipating another Guerilla attack.

"I do believe that Wendy asked more than just one question?" Charle spoke up, her sharp, annoying tone infuriating Loki like nothing had before. But at the same time he didn't hold it against her.

"Ah, yes. The Oracion Seis has their own dragon slayer, he had heard us coming and thus they are testing us." Natsu responded as he caught the canteen Loki tossed him and putting it away.

"And her other question?" Charle asked with crossed arms, a smile appearing on Natsu's face. She kind of reminded him of Evergreen.

"Originally, I would have asked you to go home once we got close enough. But now that they know you're here, sending you on your own would only put you at risk," Natsu explained gently, prompting Charle to nod her head in acceptance.

"What?! How do you know! How strong are they?" Wendy asked, fearing for her life as she turned around to look at Natsu.

"Don't worry about them Wendy, I'll take care of ya," Natsu replied with a grin as he ruffled her hair, the act being both annoying and endearing.

"He's a poison Dragon Slayer, created by a lacrima. It's his sound magic that makes him deadly, ain't that right Cobra?" Natsu said in an amused fashion as they continued walking forward, with Loki rolling his eyes in annoyance while Wendy looked around frantically.

"Wendy! Calm down, that other ruffian is not here, he can hear us though," Charle explained as Wendy stepped over a large root.

"Oh... How does his sound magic make him deadly?" Wendy asked confused as she clenched Charle together to her chest, while Loki simply followed silently.

"He can hear your thoughts, allowing him to dodge your every attack," Natsu explained as they reached deeper and deeper into the forest, hoping he had perfected his mind blocking.

 **'I've decided to help, but not out of kindness, let's make a deal,' END** spoke, Natsu's eyes widening in shock, the thousands of thoughts running through his mind as he realized he would quite possible be dealing with the devil.

'Oh, and what exactly do you want? If you think I'm going to give you control, that's a firm no,' Natsu replied as Wendy stopped at the edge of a clearing, before gesturing to Natsu silently, doing her best to now make as little noise as possible.

He stepped towards the edge, his eyes staring at a fairly large mountain, only a bit smaller than Mount Hakobe.

 **'The way I see it, is that you still have no clue what's going on, but I do, and I can lead you right to them, for a price. Its your choice, you have five minutes to decide.'** END replied, A frown appearing on Natsu's face as he considered the demons proposition.

His eyes narrowed as he scanned over the mountain, even from his distance, it didn't take long to see the small opening in the rock face.

"That's their hideout huh," Natsu replied as he tried to see anything that would suggest someone was still there.

"Wendy, would you mind if I grabbed your hand? It will be faster," Natsu asked kindly prompting Loki to step forward, placing his hand on Natsu's shoulder and waiting for him to make his move.

 **'You're wasting your time. This Brain character is far too paranoid to risk something like that, especially when he knows you're coming. Two minutes,'** End commented, already beginning to feel Natsu give in.

 _'Natsu? Is this working? Natsu come in its Levy,'_ another voice spoke, prompting Natsu to lift his hand in pause, making everyone look at him confused.

 _'Hello Levy, any luck yet?"_ Natsu asked hopefully, not wanting to have to trust a demon in a situation like this.

 _'Very little, but I have found multiple references to a "Weapon that could end all wars" I'll keep looking, but it looks like this is worse than we thought,'_ Levy replied making Natsu rub his eyes in annoyance, knowing he was bound to regret this later.

 _'Thank you Levy,'_ Natsu replied as he shut off the connection. _'I accept, Where am I heading,'_ Natsu called out to END, sincerely hoping he wouldn't regret this.

 **'Not even going to ask what I want?'** END asked smugly, infuriating Natsu that he was forced to make a deal with his devil.

As if he didn't have enough on his plate already.

'Unfortunately, I don't have the time, if the Seis gets the weapon... We'll deal with our agreement later. I will not kill, steal, beat or threaten.' Natsu answered with a sigh.

"Are you alright Natsu-san?" Wendy asked worriedly, breaking Natsu out of his head as he smiled down at Wendy.

 **'Head Northwest for about a kilometer, I'll stop you if you go too far,'** The demon replied giddily, already knowing what he wanted to ask and pay out a long overdue debt.

"Yes, Levy just gave us some information, follow me," Natsu replied abruptly as he began heading in what appeared to be a random direction, with the other three following.

"What did she say?" Loki asked worriedly as he hurried to Natsu's side.

"She found reference to a weapon that could end all wars, we must hurry, I don't want to imagine..." Natsu trailed off as he turned his head, looking back at Loki and Wendy before starting a slow jog, with the other two mages attempting to keep up.

"Do you think she'll be able to find it?" Loki asked worried as he struggled to stay by Natsu's side, his inhuman pace making it next to impossible to keep up.

"No, if Brain struggled to find it, Levy has next to no hope," Natsu replied as he stopped before walking towards Wendy, and kneeling in front of her.

Wendy looked at the wizard saint, confused as to what he was doing before gesturing to his back, a huge blushing building on her cheeks as she finally caught on.

She slowly, and clumsily made her way forward, embarrassed that Natsu had to stoop so low simply because she couldn't keep up.

"No, I can carry Wendy," Charle spoke up, stopping Wendy just as she was about to mount Natsu's back, a sigh of relief escaping her mouth as Charle wrapped her tail around her waist and grabbed the back of her skirt.

"Okay, sorry if I made you uncomfortable, we can't lose any more time," Natsu said apologetically, grateful that Loki had stayed silent.

"That's okay," Wendy replied nervously, unable to believe that she almost had a piggyback ride on her _Prince's_ back.

"Come, let's go," Natsu said as he started his light jog, that was close to a full-on run for Loki, while Charle carried Wendy by his side, surprising him at her speed.

"What type of weapon are we talking about here?" Loki asked breathlessly as they continued to run, being careful not to trip or injure themselves.

"Not too sure, a weapon to end all wars is all it referenced. It could be a WMD, or even a subservience magic of some kind." Natsu replied, unaware that he was closer than he realized.

"Woah, what's that?" Wendy asked shocked as she pointed to a large tree in the distance, easily the thickest tree they had come across. Which, in itself isn't that unusual, but the thick, black glossy chains however were.

"Well shit..." Loki said with a whistle as they came to a stop, scanning the area the best he could, even though Natsu or even Wendy could do a much better job.

But it seemed that the Oracion Seis had not yet found... Whatever it is.

"Don't touch it, Wendy, please hide the best you can, I cannot ask you to fight," Natsu said with a sigh as he stared at the tree before him, the sense of foreboding becoming overwhelming as he stared at the tree, not knowing what it was for, or what it did, was what worried him most.

"What do you mean hide? They aren't here yet are they?" Wendy asked, panicked as her head shot around, her nose flaring as she searched for any indicator.

"No... But I think they have before... This doesn't make sense, how could they not have unsealed it?" Natsu asked rhetorically as he crouched before the tree, noticing very large faded footprints, pressed in the dirt.

'Hoteye...' Natsu thought as he stood himself upright, looking to the sky as he attempted to figure out what was going on.

 **'It seems like it hasn't been dispelled yet, isn't that interesting,'** END commented, actuator intrigued, making Natsu sigh.

'You still aren't going to tell me what this is, are you?' Natsu asked as he turned to Wendy.

 **'Where's the fun in that?'** the demon replied, causing Natsu to roll his eyes.

"So what do we do now that we've found... Whatever this is," Loki asked confused as he gestured to the chained tree.

"As far as I can tell, this is still here for two reasons. Either they don't know how to break the seal, or, whoever can, is now unable to." Natsu explained, trying to think of any news that would indicate Brain being injured.

"... Or this is something else entirely. What's to say this is truly their target? Perhaps it's a ruse?" Charle commented as she let go of Wendy to get a closer look at the tree.

"No, this has to be it." Natsu replied sternly, his confidence perceived to be stubbornness or even arrogance.

"Then why is it still sealed, and why haven't they attacked us yet?" Charle asked as she crossed her paws over her chest.

"I don't know. Wendy, do you remember how long ago they were spotted?" Natsu asked worriedly as he looked towards the direction they came.

"Two days ago, why?" Wendy asked nervously as she looked at her feet, her arms wrapped around her stomach, unintentionally hugging herself as she attempted to quell the nerves in her stomach.

"Interesting... The scent is only about... Twelve hours old at a max?" Natsu said, prompting Charle to roll her eyes in annoyance.

"I don't see how that helps us at all, it doesn't narrow down anything," Charle commented, and as much as Loki wanted to disagree with her, he couldn't.

 **"** You're right, but, there's a good chance that they just found it, and maybe the rest of the guild hasn't arrived yet. Do you remember how many people were spotted?" Natsu asked as he began to walk back towards the cave. Before turning around at the edge of the clearing.

"I'm not sure... Maybe five or six?" Wendy replied making both Natsu's and Loki's eyes widen.

Who was the one missing? If they assumed the largest number

* * *

And onto the reviews!

Natsuharemfan- that's a really good idea, but I always loved how everyone in the Oracion Seis was influenced by following their dreams but had just gone down the wrong path to pursue them.

If you could get any fairy tail guild mark tattooed into your body, whose would you chose? Send me a PM, or write a review.


	53. The Plot Thickens

And onto the story!

Charle's PoV

"Are you sure? Not seven?" Natsu asked, the intensity on his face making Wendy want to jump back in fear, but also drew her in, wanting to stand by his side and fight with him. It was a confusing situation.

"Y-yes! The more I think about it, maybe five," Wendy replied, and then both Loki and Natsu stopped. Their thoughts, their movements, everything.

'Why only five?!...'

Cobra's PoV

"Fuck!" Cobra cursed suddenly, prompting his guild mates to stop what they were doing and look at him, curiosity and annoyance in their gaze.

"What, did someone piss in your cheerios?" Racer asked haughtily, drawing Cobra's annoyed gaze, while Angel simply rolled her eyes in annoyance, more than used to their unending stream of jabs and insults.

"No you dickhead, The Salamander has found Nirvana," Cobra replied, prompting everyone to stop what they were doing.

Hot-eye stopped fantasizing about money, Midnight had begun to wake up, Angel put down her mirror, Racer stopped sharpening his knife, and Brain looked up from his book, pissed off that he didn't have the proper dispellation, having to ask him for assistance. And another pair of eyes simply stared from the shadows.

"What did you just say," Brain asked seriously, the cold, baritone in his voice making Angel's shoulder tense in worry, while Racer holstered his twin blades, ready to get revenge, pissed that even after three years the Salamander was still capable of throwing him around.

"Salamander and his two little buddies have found Nirvana, it doesn't make sense. They don't know what it is, and they find it in an hour," Cobra explained, the aggravation in his tone palpable to the point it spread to everyone else.

It took them months of research, and they still couldn't find it. It was disconcerting, worrying, but overall confusing. How can you find something you're not looking for? Luck is non-existent right now, someone betrayed them, the only question was whom.

"Then we take the fight to them before they can destroy it," A new voice commented, Angel and Hot Eye jumping in shock as they had completely forgotten he was there.

A man in a dark black cloak exited the shadows, their face obscured by their black leather hood, standing about six foot six with wide shoulders, and slim hips. Their hands were covered in thick combat gloves, with silver spikes on the knuckles. They were wearing thick black with grey accented combat boots that extended past their ankle, reaching mid shin, with the pants tucked under.

Their cloak was held closed by seven dark grey leather straps, spanning diagonally from his right shoulder to his left hip, keeping it firmly closed and in place.

His pants were black as well, grey cloth wrapped around the shin to his knee, keeping his pants firmly tucked into his boots. From knee to hip the pants were baggy and loose, restricting no movement whatsoever.

"No, it's too dangerous, we can't risk any stray attacks hitting Nirvana, especially if our Intel is true," Brain replied instantly as he looked up from his book, only receiving a tcht in response as the man disappeared back into the cave, deciding to head back into the darkness, until he was called upon.

"Remind me again why we even bother dealing with that guy? He's literally the walking example of teenage angst," Racer asked with a smirk on his face, prompting Angel to sigh in annoyance, while Midnight, simply fell asleep.

"His strength is paramount to our cause, now leave and run interference, I haven't had enough time to cipher the book yet," Brain replied without pause, his eyes slowly travelling over the book before him, not even worried at all about the upcoming fight.

Cobra narrowed his eyes before exiting the cave, intent on seeing his one true friend, and finally end this unending dark crusade.

The rest of the Seis made their own exits, Hot-eye sunk into the ground, Racer sped off into the distance, Midnight literally disappeared, and Angel sauntered away without a worry in the world.

"That includes you Fury," Brain commanded, not even turning around as the man slowly walked out of the shadows, the darkness almost appearing to reach out to him as he walked into the light.

Gray's PoV

The ice mage watched once more as Warren shakily removed his hands from Ur's head, sweat dripping down his forehead and neck as he almost fell back off the stool, caught only by Shiko's arm on his bicep.

"Look, take a break if you need to, she's as stable as either you or I," Shiko said, annoyance clear on her face as she watched the telepath work himself to magical exhaustion, the strain it was putting on his container, brain, and body enough that it could put him out of commission for a day or two, even with advanced treatment.

"She's right, you've done enough," Merudy said, a small smile on her face as she walked towards the kitchen, intending on getting Warren a drink, and snack if she could find it.

"It's just... I'm so close... so goddamn close..." Warren panted as he rested his hands on his knees, the white pallor of his skin making Gray frown.

"Warren, at this point you will only do harm, poking around in her head like that is really dangerous, I don't want to know what would happen if you lost control." Gray explained making Warren sigh, unable to defy that logic.

"Okay... What should we do while we wait?" Warren asked, still trying to catch his breath, the strain this was having on his body was almost too much.

"Talk, eat, I don't know. Flame brain said that we were free to do as we like, just don't make too much of a mess," Gray said with a smirk as he stood up, intending to explore, the eagerness in his eyes making Shiko want to scoff.

"You're just using this as an excuse to dig through his stuff." Merudy stated, not even needing to ask a question as his intentions were clear as day. She currently had a knife in her hand as she spread butter on simple whole grain bread, surprising Merudy that he chose a healthier option.

"Yep! Can't pass up on the chance to see what Natsu does in his spare time." Gray commented as he began to rummage through the drawers in his kitchen, disappointed when he only found simple stainless steel cutlery, ceramic plates and crystal glasses.

"Actually, Natsu isn't recorded to have much time off at all," Merudy spoke up, drawing curious and confused gazes who watched as she began to lay cold-cut ham on the buttered bread, before placing the other slice on top and slicing the sandwich diagonally.

"How do you know?" Shiko asked curiously, watching as Merudy carried over a simple ham sandwich and a glass of water to Warren, it being the least she could do for all the pain he was going through to help them.

"The council actually keeps tabs on the amount of missions every mage takes. The more successful missions, the more attention. Sometimes, the council will even pick a mage to become S-Class because of that, completely bypassing that guilds system itself." Merudy explained, utterly shocking everyone present, because nobody knew of this. But they remained silent so that she could continue speaking.

"The top ten highest amounts per week and month are kept on a scoreboard in the Era main branch, where people like Natsu, Laxus and Jura keep their spots pretty well," Merudy continued on, not surprising anyone present.

All three of those men were more like monsters than anything else.

"Natsu has one of the highest mission rates recorded, I think he once did twenty A class missions in a single week, and together with the Raijinshuu tribe, they completed about seventy missions in a month between them all." Merudy explained, with everyone's jaws dropping in shock. Gray himself, usually did about four to ten missions a month. Twenty in a week is crazy.

"No fucking way, what type of missions were those?" Gray asked, no longer interested in the boring, empty cabinets, but of the stories Merudy had to tell.

"A few easy S-Class missions, a few A class, but mostly B-Class tracking, retrieving or defeating," Merudy listed off, the amazement on everyone's face clear as day.

"Natsu was exhausted after that, slept for two days straight," A new high pitched tone spoke up, alerting them to a new presence entirely, and noticing two more behind it as they entered the room.

"So you're done with the master huh?" Gray asked with a grin as he walked towards Happy, Gloria and Kagura who had just walked in.

"Aye sir!" Happy replied as he shot towards the freezer, becoming a blur as he opened the door, and began to pull out ten fish.

"The excitable cat is correct, we had a long conversation with Master Makarov, and we decided to take homage at Fairy Tail indefinitely." Kagura commented as she stood awkwardly in the middle of the hallway leading towards the spare bedrooms.

"Congratulations! Trust me, your welcome party will be unlike anything you've ever seen!" Warren commented, having had finally felt a little better after eating the food Merudy had prepared for him.

"Why a party? I don't quite follow," Kagura commented with a raised brow, her tone reminding practically monotonous.

"Well, we just gained... What is it, three or four mages?" Gray asked as he sent Warren a knowing look, before turning back to Gloria, touched by the smile on her face.

"Something like that, our family just got a whole lot bigger!" Warren exclaimed with a smile, making Kagura roll her eyes in annoyance, but a small, barely visible quirk could be seen on her lips.

A family sounded nice.

Wendy's PoV

"Why? Is that bad?" Wendy asked worriedly as she looked at the two fairies, having had watched them stare at each other for the past few minutes.

"No, not necessarily Wendy... But the more and more I think about this, it feels like a... Trap!" Natsu shouted as he looked to the sky above them, noticing a familiar, large Maroon snake making its way over.

"Stay on guard, Loki, stay with Wendy." Natsu commanded as he closed his eyes, waiting to hear when Racer would show up. But, he was glad the cat kept her mouth shut, realizing the severity of the threat before them.

"And whatever you do, don't let that shake bite you," Natsu warned as his eyes shot open, his pupils thinning into slits as he looked to the south west, picking up on Racer's approach.

"I can help! I may not be that good at attacking, buy my support magic is very strong!" Wendy cried out, wanting nothing more than to prove not only her strength, but her worth, to her future king, her magic already becoming attuned to his, drawing her to be around him, and fight by his side.

"Don't waste your magic on me, I'll be fine, use it on Loki and Charle if you can, let them protect you," Natsu demanded as he slammed his foot on the ground, a thick wall of wire appearing in front of Racer milliseconds before he ran into it, causing him to crash into the wall, burns already beginning to take to his arms, face and chest.

But the wall began to grow, spanning the distance around their small clearing at a fairly slow pace, in an attempt to slow Racer down.

Loki watched as Natsu's hand was enveloped in a flash of white, before a familiar golden key appeared in his hand.

"Open, gate of the thirteenth Zodiac! Ophiuchus! Rise!" Natsu chanted as he held the key in the air, before turning it, a huge, seven foot in diameter magic circle appearing below his feet, before a gong echoed through the forest, the darkness from the shadows drawing towards the circle as a large, dark purple serpent shot out of it.

Wendy watched in pure shock as Natsu back flipped off of the snakes head, his hands curled into fist as he plummeted towards the ground, while the snake shot out towards what Natsu knew was Cobra, intent on engaging the snake.

"Wendy lookout!" Loki cried out as he dove at the bluenette, barely tackling her to the side before a blur shot past her, and running into the wall Natsu had created once more, the space in the clearing not nearly enough for him to control his speed.

"Are you okay?" Loki asked as he stood up, only to hear a loud crash, the ground shaking below their feet. He stood up, prepared to defend Wendy, only to see Natsu standing up, an unconscious Hot-eye stuck in the ground, only his head staying above grade, and the large bump on his head was more than enough proof that Natsu had just clocked the guy.

"Alright, one down, five to go," Natsu said as he looked up, only to flash away in a ball of fire, barely appearing behind Wendy fast enough to catch the dagger heading for her neck, his hand clenched around Racers fist, before he literally threw the man, one handed, into the wall, sounds of Ophiuchus clashing with Cubellios ringing from the sky.

"I apologize," Charle said suddenly, attracting Natsu's attention as he dispelled the wall, happy enough that Racer was burnt and bruised while Hot-eye was completely down for the count.

"Say what now?" Natsu asked as his body was enveloped in a flash of white, before it disappeared, revealing him in his dragon armor, only emphasizing the severity of the situation.

Wendy stared at Natsu in awe, watching as his golden jointed black leathery wings flapped majestically, lifting him slightly off the ground and blowing dust around as he stretched, preparing for the upcoming fight.

This man was truly her prince, there was no doubt in her mind, his presence oozed confidence and kindness, acceptance and hope as he stood in the face of adversity.

But to be fair, this was the largest fight shed ever had the displeasure to take part of.

"By now it is quite evident you are, in fact, capable of defeating entire guilds on your own, and for that, I apologize," Charle explained, pissing everyone around them off that she would dare speak of that in the middle of a fight. Even Racer was annoyed by her change in attitude.

"Wrong time for that, more incoming!" Natsu yelled as he looked around, noticing that Racer had moved from the tree he had thrown him in, a frown appearing on his face as he looked to the sky, noticing that Ophiuchus was beginning to lose, her metal armor and gears beginning to corrode from the poison Cobra and His snake were throwing around.

He was just lucky Cobra wasn't getting serious, yet.

"Loki, cover her for a second," Natsu shouted as he shot into the sky, fire shooting from his feet as he shot towards Cobra, intent on evening out the battle, knowing in his heart that Ophiuchus can take out the snake.

"R-right! Fast winds that run the heaven... VERNIER! Power of the stout hand's that tear the heavens... ARMS!" Wendy exclaimed, a magic circle appearing under Loki's feet, before growing as she added the second enchantment, before Loki was enveloped in a phosphorescent faded green, feeling as if his power has doubled tenfold.

"Holy shit..." Loki muttered as he clenched his hand, before turning around, becoming a blur as he barely matched Racers attack head on, his hands just catching Racers wrists as he intending to stab Wendy's shoulders.

"Dude, what the hell is it with you cutting kids necks?" Loki asked annoyed as a power struggle ensued as Racer fought penchance for his blade, while Loki attempted to hold the man back, who gave no reply other than a sinister grin.

'Why do they keep coming after me?! What did I do," Wendy thought worriedly as she watched Loki and Racer struggle, before turning around, sensing a spike of magic behind them.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" Wendy chanted as she brought her hands in front of her mouth, before a huge tornado shot out of the girls mouth, heading on a direct course for a huge blast of energy barreling towards them.

The clashing of energy and wind sent a shock wave throughout the clearing, dislodging the power struggle behind her and sending the two men flying, while Charle struggled to keep Wendy standing, tail wrapped around her waist to give her that extra maneuverability.

They heard an explosion in the sky, drawing everyone's attention to a ball of fire crashing towards the ground outside of the trees clearing with what was clearly two bodies inside, as a scratched and burnt Cubelios attempted, and failed, to chase after, being blocked by an exhausted Ophiuchus.

Charle quickly flew away from the direction Natsu and Cobra were doomed to destroy, glad that he at least has the control to avoid a catastrophe.

Loki smiled as he stood up, noticing that Wendy's enchantment was still active, as he turned around, catching sight of a platinum haired beauty.

Angel poked her head through the brush, shocked to see Hot-eye literally planted in the ground unconscious, with Cubelios being beaten by some unknown serpent that was much larger than it.

And there was a man in a tuxedo, a glare clear on his face as he locked eyes with her, before running towards her, very, very fast.

Loki's PoV

"Shit," Angel muttered as she jumped to the side at the very last second, barely avoiding Loki's fist that crashed into the tree behind her, literally breaking the tree in half, a punch that easily would have taken Angel out.

"Whoa," Loki muttered as he stared at his hand, realizing that he needed to calm down. The second he saw that woman, the exact second he saw her, he knew. He knew exactly who she was, and exactly what she had done.

And it made him furious. She had killed his caster, forcing him into three years of unending agony, and she stood there, no bags under her eyes, a smile on her face and an innocence he truly envied.

It sickened him that someone could be such a contradiction to everything he believed in. That someone could be happy, even after doing terrible, unspeakable things.

But he couldn't let that consume him, control him. Nothing was confirmed. She could be innocent. But he had to find out.

"Yeah, I get it." Angel suddenly spoke up, her perfect, calm voice assaulting his ears as she spoke, making Loki look up as he turned around.

"That little girl over there is a support mage, that's why you're so strong," Angel spoke up as her hands raised to her cleavage, smirking when she saw his eyes tracking her ever movement, watching as she pulled a key ring out of her bosom.

But it was impossible, her dress was so tight, with so, so much showing... Where on earth did she keep those?

"Wanna dance?" Angel asked, a daunting, seductive smirk on her face as she held her keys up in the air, her right index finger holding the ring in the air.

And instantly her aura of beauty and femininity shattered. Because she wasn't a precious flower. She was a weed, a killer. And while Loki wasn't a gardener, he sure knew how to pick a weed.

Wendy's PoV

"Stay focused child, the battle is not yet won," Charle said calmly in Wendy's ear, snapping the young woman out of her stupor as she nodded her head, attempting to will the fear out of her body.

And that only made it stronger as he looked around, noticing Loki stuck in combat with a new woman, and was very depressed to be referred to as a little girl, it's not her fault she hasn't grown yet!

"Focus!" Charle barked softly in her ear as she turned around, noticing a sleeping man sitting on a floating carpet, utterly confusing both girl and cat.

"Is-is he another enemy?" Wendy whispered cautiously, not wanting to move, or do anything that could wake the man up, who made his way, unscathed, to the battleground, asleep.

"I'm unsure child, keep the enchantment on Loki, it seems the buffoon needs it," Charle commented, making Wendy look to the side to see Loki being slammed by a torrent of sand, having had jumped aside to avoid a ball of energy, that continued on to to slam into a tree, wood chips and leaves shooting everywhere when it exploded on contact.

"Oh my," Charle commented as she watched a very shredded Loki stand up, his suit now completely ruined as he glowered at the woman, and half-man half-scorpion creature... Wherever that came from...

But he was at a loss, he had a less controllable magic, and he couldn't risk destroying the tree. But there wasn't enough space for him to move around. And using That would only drain him too much.

And Wendy was so distracted she never heard it until it was too late, the rapidly accelerating footsteps slamming the earth behind her, and within a second it was behind her back, as Charle attempted to pull Wendy to the side, only for a Blade to meet her neck...

In a pleasant hello, the man's blade actually leaving a small cut on the cat as she carried Wendy away as fast as she could, solely focused on keeping Wendy safe.

And was shocked to see Natsu's clawed hand firmly wrapped around Racer's wrist, his hand being the only reason bright Charle or Wendy died that day, his knife being long enough to run both of them through.

Natsu's PoV

"Woooh, Glad I made it in time," Natsu said tiredly as he looked at Racer annoyed, before tossing the man away for the umpteenth time that day.

"Thank you, is he-"" Wendy asked curiously, actually having had wanted to talk to Cobra, curious as to what type of slayer magic he had.

"Nope! Just pissed, especially when I tore him off his snake, he's gotten a lot stronger though," Natsu explained as his eyes trailed towards Loki's fight with Angel, a frown on his face as he watched Angel summon a second spirit, while firing large balls of magic from a third key, putting Loki in a very tight position.

But then something else began to grate on his mind, something smelt familiar, too familiar. Not the general scent of blood or the common scent most clothes or even trees had. Something much more specific. But Natsu couldn't figure out what.

It's unfortunate that Racer's approach prevented him from being able to think about it any further. Luckily, Charle knew enough to pull Wendy away into the sky, surprising Natsu when she flew Wendy towards the battle of Ophiuchus and Cubelios. Both snakes continuing to bash heads and attempt to bite the others neck.

And then Natsu took notice of Midnight's unconscious form, sitting on the floating carpet, his eyes closed as he waited for the opportune time join the fight, making Natsu frown.

Racer was upon him before he even has the chance to blink, a deadly dagger aimed straight for his heart, with Natsu's left hand shooting up, barely deflecting the overhanded slash with his left hand.

Natsu's right knee instant shot up, aiming for Racer's gut, only for the man to step back, appearing behind Natsu before he even had the chance to turn around, his wings flaring out in an attempt to throw the man off.

And while it barely phased Racer, it gave Natsu barely enough time to turn around, his right hand swinging a wicked haymaker, slamming straight through his head, making Natsu's eyes widen in annoyance.

'He's gotten better,' Natsu thought as his body instantly turned into fire, surprising the speed freak as his hand passed into Natsu's body, the intense heat beginning to burn his skin, and quickly removing his hand.

'Of course he has you fool, but not in the way you think,' END replied in momentary surprise, having had caught onto Racer's magic, surprised to see it used in such a way.

Natsu reverted back the second Racer removed his hand, his right hand having had already began moving towards the speedsters head, but he had retained the fire on his fist.

"Fire Dragon's Iron fist!" Natsu called out as his hand slammed into Racers head, only for his fist to veer off course at the last second, and Natsu gritted his teeth.

The clock struck Midnight early this day.

Wendy's PoV

"Charle! Where are you going!" Wendy cried out as the white cat carried her into the sky, heading towards the warring serpents, their colossal sizes sensing shock waves through the sky.

"Hush child, That Cobra character dealt a lot of damage to Natsu's snake, Let's help it out," Charle commanded in a gentle tone, doing her best to hold herself together, needing to be stronger for Wendy, who was ready to fall to pieces.

She was just glad that Natsu saved both hers, and Wendy's lives, the memories that flashed through her head leaving her disappointed with herself. In trying to protect Wendy she had become the exact thing she prayed Wendy did not. A selfish, snobby brat. And since it seemed like she had new friends that could undoubtedly protect her better... Perhaps it was time to let loose a bit, especially since she could feel the blood trailing down her back, very, slowly.

"But I'm still helping Loki," Wendy asked nervously, her eyes drifting down to their battlefield, surprised to see that their fight had trailed off further into the forest, with Loke being chased by the same woman with trees falling and exploding left and right.

"Focus child!" Charle chastised as she quickly rolled to the right, barely missing the acidic poison Cubelios had spit at them, before shooting forward at an even faster pace, hoping to end the aerial battle once and for all.

Cubellios faked Ophiuchus out, diving under and through Ophiuchus'' flying body on its way to eat Wendy and her wings.

Ophiuchus'' eye drifted over, catching sight of the Cat and slayer duo, before spinning mid air, coiling it's body before it's thick, metal tail tip slashed around, slamming into Cubelios stomach, catching the snake off guard as it moved from the force, barely missing the young friends.

"Th-thank you!" Wendy cried out as Charle flew them to the snakes side, not even getting a blink, or nod of acceptance as the snake dove forward, it's muscles coiling as it intended to bite the opposing snake in half.

But Cubelios simply moved forwards, letting Ophiuchus bite it's belly for just a moment, before ramming it's head upon Ophiuchus damaged scales, having had been broken and rusted by Cobra's own poison.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" Wendy called out, releasing a hellish torrent of air from her mouth, hoping to slam the snakes head back, the tornado slamming right into Cubelios left cheek, slamming its head one hundred and eighty degrees towards the ground.

"Sky Dragon's Talon!" Wendy cried out as Charle shot her forward, the wind glistening and wrapping around her right foot, forming a simple, elegant claw that she brought down beside Ophiuchus mouth, slamming straight into the snakes damaged stomach, painful cracks being heard as Cubelios roared in pain, some of its bone broken and cracked from the attack.

Ophiuchus' released Cubellios stomach, adjusting it's teeth so that it clamped down on the snakes broken bones, the snake crying out even more before the hisses died out, and Ophiuchus disappeared in a flash of golden light, shocking someone from the battlefield.

And pissing another off as Cubelios body fell to the ground, unconscious, crushing trees and rocks as it fell to its resting place on the ground.

Loki's PoV

'Goddammit this girl is good, better than Karen ever was,' Loki thought in annoyance as he dove to his left, recovering into a roll as a cannonball of energy slammed into the tree beside him, blowing it to pieces as Loki continued to run into the forest.

"Ahh, and here I thought our date was going so well, I don't bite... Too much," Angel taunted as she continued to walk through the forest, not caring about the steadily growing distance between the two as she fired another ball of energy, careening towards the tree Loki attempted to take a breather behind, forcing him to keep running.

Unfortunately, Angel was quickly growing tired of this cat and mouse game, wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep, where memories of the past gave her hope...

"Open, gate of the twin! Gemini!" Angel cried out as a golden flash appeared at her side, before revealing two small blue dolls levitating by Angel's right shoulder, that were about the same size as Happy and Charle.

"Is it time to play?" "Because you know we love playing!" The two dolls cried out, finishing each other's sentences as they danced in the air, smiles on their faces as they looked at a smiling Angel.

"Yes my dears, we want to play tag with him, you see him?" Angel asked kindly as she pointed towards Loki, who had turned around to watch her interact with her spirits, surprised to see that maybe, just maybe the spirits were better off with this killer than Karen.

"Hmm, he looks familiar," "Almost like the Prince," Gemi and Mini spoke, Angel's shooting open in shock, as she took in Loki's appearance once more.

A suit and tie, wild orange hair that shaped at the front into barely, there cat ears.

And then she smiled.

"Never thought I'd stand in the presence of the leader of the Zodiac, but I am surprised that your caster is hiding out in the forest, Racer said you were there when they first attacked as well," Angel said curiously, a genuine smile on her face as she approached the still Loki.

"Yeah, close but not quite. My friend isn't hiding, In fact he's out there fighting right now," Loki said determinedly, ignoring the blood that was slowly sliding down his arms, legs and chest, the tears in his suit revealing the small cuts and scrapes on his body.

Angel simply frowned, knowing exactly who Loki was talking about, but she refused to believe that in a handful of years Natsu had not only found A Zodiac Key, but had gotten so much control as well.

"Hmm, Gemi, Mini, it's time to play, you chose," Angel said, a frown on her face as she resisted the urge to look back towards the clearing where the man in question stood his ground.

"Ooh!" Can we be him, he's fun!" Gemi and Mini asked, putting a smile back on Angel's face as she nodded, before they began to twirl together, their bodies began to shift and change, before revealing something that genuinely made Loki gulp in worry.

It was a boy, about fifteen to seventeen years old, standing around five foot seven. They had wide shoulders, and was very define for their age, their baggy black harem pants, tightened at the ankles by white athletic wrap, run under his black combat boots. He was wearing a maroon red tank top, with a large black leather overcoat that ran to his mid thigh.

But what stood out most was the boy's black tipped salmon hair. And while Loki had never been at Fairy Tail that long, he knew exactly who it was.

It was teenage Natsu, and he did not look happy.

"What the fuck?!" Loki cried in annoyed terror as he watched the boy roll his shoulders and stretch his neck.

"You see, Gemi and Mini were very impressed with the way Salamander stood to us, the way he held all six of us off, for even a short period of time. And even though it uses up almost all of their magic to finish the transformation... I'd say it's more than worth it." Angel explained, a laid back smile on her face as Natsu shot forward, his speed much slower than the man not even fifty feet away, but it was still fast enough to catch Loki off guard as a fist slammed into his gut, slamming Loki into a tree behind them and breaking it in half on impact.

"I have to admit, I was shocked when Brain offered Salamander whatever he wanted, to join our guild. And I had never seen him more pissed than when He refused, and threw Racer in his face," Angel continued as she watched Loki crawl to his feet, holding his stomach as he looked at the still, and silent slayer before him, praying to whatever God's were left that he didn't have any magic.

"That was the hardest fight we had ever had. We were in awe that a sixteen year old boy could stand up to Brain and match him, if even for a short amount of time. It is something we wish we could do ourselves, but he's far too strong. And he never took it well when Natsu left a scar on his face... Boy that made him pissed," Angel explained, confusing Loki as to why she was telling him this, even though he was very interested in what happened.

"And so Brain left Natsu as a message, beaten, broken and bloody, unable to move, or even cry without pain, on the council's doorsteps, Some of us didn't agree, but nobody would dare defy the madman," Angel explained with a sigh as she looked at Loki, who was now glaring at her.

"You tortured a sixteen year old boy?!" Like cried in outrage, furious that the five mages didn't think to stand to Brain, and ending it all with Natsu at their side they obviously could have won.

His anger began to take physical manifestation, a whitish green aura encompassing his body, his eyes glowing the exact same colour for a second, before the magic traveled down to his ring, leaving the gem glowing as the aura left him.

"I didn't, Brain did..." Angel replied, the tinge of regret in her voice making Loki pause as he stared at the woman, before looking at the mini-Natsu, glad she didn't have enough magic to manifest him any stronger.

"Then help us now! Natsu's gotten a lot stronger, he took Hoteye out in a single hit and continues to throw racer around like a rag doll!" Loki explained, taking a page out of Natsu's book, knowing that spirits could never be close to someone with a black heart.

"And so has Brain, he was embarrassed that he almost got beaten by a kid, that challenged his guild single handedly. It's impossible to defeat Brain," Angel explained with a frown, and Gemini Natsu took that as a prompt to shoot forward, only to stop when a pained road was heard throughout the forest, pulling everyone's eyes to the sky as they watched Cubelios unconscious body plummet to the ground.

The earth shook, and trees broke as Cubelios landed, a frown crossing Angel's face as she knew how Cobra would react to this, only confirmed by the spike in magic coming from behind them, a dark red, almost purple spike of magic shooting into the sky.

What was shocking, was when the purple serpent disappeared in a flash of white light, a light Angel was very familiar with.

And then everything clicked for Angel. 'Natsu is a Stellar Mage! That means... He has been doing it again, as we got stronger he grew and learned to be able to counter us. Which means...' Angel thought in shock, embarrassed that she was being distracted by the leader of the Zodiac, and that Natsu has been fighting them solo once again, minus the little girls minor interference.

"Leo the Lion, are you still confident Natsu can win?" Angel asked as she turned her eyes onto Loki's, who only narrowed as his magic began to gather at his fists, before three tornadoes spanning twenty feet tall shot forwards, the pure force created by the twisters uprooting trees and shooting sticks into the sky, as they shot towards Gemini Natsu.

Natsu's PoV

'This fucking sucks," Natsu thought as he blocked a punch from racer with his right forearm, before grabbing the man's wrist and swinging the man around, kicking him in the back and sending him flying forwards.

'Interesting... Midnight can't block physical attacks...' Natsu thought as he dodged a punch from Racer, watching as the man's momentum carried him forward, and grabbing the man's shoulder, throwing him over his back and blocking a Poison enhanced Fist from Cobra.

'Good, so what are you going to do about it? With Mr. Sleepy over there you can't remain unaffected by Cobra's poison forever,' END commented, genuinely curious as Natsu did a quick scan around the are, showing that the demon was in fact correct, poison gas hovered above the ground, with the more attacks Cobra throw outs, the more the position collected.

Flawless fighting strategy, but it would be mute if Natsu could use his flames to the fullest.

"Poison Dragon's Scales!" Cobra called out as a magic circle appeared in front of his body, his arms crossed diagonally towards his hips before flinging them out through the circle.  
Thousands of tiny little shards flew towards Natsu, Who ran to the side, not wanting to accidentally hit the weapon, or whatever it was, by accident.

But Racer ran interference, and Midnight redirected the scales towards Natsu, putting him between a rock and a hard place as he then began to hold off Racers attacks.

'Fuck it, at this rate I'll be too tired to take out Brain,' Natsu thought annoyed as his body was enveloped in a thin layer of fire, at the very last second, the poison scales evaporating instantaneously before they even had a chance to reach him.

Cobra just frowned as he shot towards Natsu, moving at a speed only a few could follow as he engaged the Saint in hand to hand combat.

And then Racer joined in, the two throwing a flurry of jabs, kicks and elbows as they attempted to put Natsu on his back, only for the saint to hold them off quite well, only taking about one out of every fifteen hits.

'And? You know you can win, all you have to do is use those.' END commented making Natsu roll his eyes, but keeping them trained on the two dark mages before him, because even one mess up could lead to his loss.

That was until a roar of pain was heard in the sky, Cobra's eyes shooting to his best friend, pissed beyond belief to see the small blue haired girl weaken Cubelios, before she was taken down by the purple snake.

Racer shot to the side, already knowing how Cobra would react, while Natsu simply smiled, glad that Ophiuchus didn't get too injured, but that didn't mean he wasn't upset that he wasn't able to fight by her side, and use her as a simple bouncer.

Cobra exploded, poisonous gas billowing out of his pores as his magic level continued to climb, his body being envelopes in an aura of maroon Poison as he glared at the ground, his fingers growing and sharpening into long deadly claws as scales climbed up his forearm, ending at his elbow.

'Well kid? Your options are dwindling,' END said, and Natsu had to agree with them, as he could already feel the small signs of the poison beginning to affect him.

Natsu was shocked, until he realized that Cobra wasn't using the full form of Dragon Force, the transformation becoming incomplete, something Natsu hypothesised was because he was a second generation dragonslayer.

"I hated you because you were stronger than me, a brat who had true control over their element. But to dare touch my Cubelios..." Cobra growled as his magic level continued to climb, having had far surpassed Gray, and even Erza as he looked up, his slitted eyes glaring into Natsu's soul.

But he just looked at his hands, debating what would be the right action to take. To fight Cobra as he is now, with Midnight and Racer? That's not a match up he's confident in, especially since it forced him to not use magic.

But then he sighed, realizing that he is allowed to kill them, even if he doesn't want to.

'Here goes nothing,' Natsu thought worriedly as his body became enveloped in his hell fire flames, surprising some, and worrying others.

Midnight immediately attempted to use his magic to dispel or remove that layer of armor, only to find that not only was the armor immune, it began to drain his own magic!

He was about to warn his guild mates, but he was too late, as they had already struck.

Cobra and Racer closed in on Natsu slower than Midnight thought. Hands covered in poison or respectively bearing knives trained in on Natsu, only for Cobra to watch in utter fear as the magic was siphoned off of his fist, the man spinning to avoid touching Natsu as he tackled Racer away from his attack.

"What the fuck scale face! Why..." Racer raged, only to realize that his spell had been canceled staring utterly shocked at an amused Natsu as he looked to Midnight before looking down At Cobra's fist... Finally realizing what had truly happened.

And they were fucked.

"There you go, so what do you think of my secret weapon?" Natsu asked with a dangerous smirk on his face as his magic gathered in his hands, the three Prayers staring at him in a mixture of shock and fear as they attempted to come to terms with the property of those flames.

For they did not burn air, but magic itself was consumed by these unholy flames. And that was something not even Brain could outsmart or work around.

"Where... How?!" Cobra screamed in rage as he shot to his feet, not wanting to believe that Natsu had once again beat them, and surpassed them, but not by training his magic harder, he learned new magics, expanded his horizons... Perhaps there were advantages to being a jack of all trades.

"They were a gift from my uncle, for my destiny had been set perhaps even before I earned my right to the throne," Natsu said cryptically, surprising Cobra, where Racer and Midnight rolled their eyes.

"You failed once, who's to say you won't fail again?" Cobra said suddenly, shocking both of his guild mates, but Natsu simply sighed.

"That's not an option, the fact I matched the three of you fairly evenly without using magic should give you a pretty good feel of my strength." Natsu said making them realized he hadn't really used magic since Midnight joined the fight, and dominated them beforehand

"So why use them now? Why not earlier?" Racer asked, an ugly scowl on his face as he stared at Natsu, not needed his magic to run fast, but it helped him be a lot faster.

"Simply because they can kill you with a single touch, you're lucky Cobra saved your life, Sawyer." Natsu commented as he stretched his back and shoulders, before looking at the furious speedster, who he realized wasn't actually a speedster.

The second he activated his Hell Drive, he noticed a few things. The first, was that there had been a huge spell cast in this area, one he quickly disabled. The second, was that the spell, was what made Cobra and Racer so fast, wasn't making them faster, it just slowed down how he perceived time. And he had to be impressed.

And just like Gajeel's Iron Drive, his Hell drive provided him with a very interesting side effect, but small side effect. It gave him a coating of armor, that rendered any spell against him mute, consuming magic from everywhere around him, and powering the drive through the magic it absorbed.

"But why do you care about killing us, when they definitely gave you kill allowance? Why waste your magic when there are even more to fight, especially since it doesn't look like your little friend over there is going to make it to heaven," Midnight spoke up, his smooth, but gentle tenor voice asked, shocking everyone when he stood up, the carpet disappointing into air as he walked towards his two guild mates, who stood only six feet in front of Natsu.

"Because these flames would consume your magic container... and by then you would be dead, the pain unimaginable as you felt your magic get burned out of your body, as you skin remained untouched... That's a pain I would never wish on anyone." Natsu explained, not even batting an eye when both Cobra and Racer rolled their eyes.

"SO what's it going to be boys? Are you going to fight and lose? or surrender." Natsu asked a smirk on his face, that only grew when their magic power exploded around them, the ground cracking under there immense combined power, green radiating from Midnight, a light silver blue shining around Racer, and a misty cloud of deadly red poison seeped from Cobra's pores. It seemed as if this fight had only just begun.

But Natsu had to wonder just how this fight would go. They could not touch him, and he couldn't touch them either. It was going to be interesting, to say the least.

Angel's PoV

"I have to say, I'm surprised to see how well you're holding up," Angel said from her spot on a tree stump that had broken between the fight of Gemini-Natsu and Leo the lion.

"Yeah... well... I'd stand no chance if he could use magic... Seems like you still aren't strong enough to even match Natsu from three years ago." Loki panted with a sigh as they broke up once more, both jumping back to catch their breath as they nursed their sore, bodies.

Gemini-Natsu simply stood where he was, his shoulders rising and falling with his tired breaths as he stared at Loki, who had reverted to his Celestial Spirit Magic once more, his magic ring having had broken after Natsu's fist met his own.

"That is very true, fortunately, cute little Natsu here is strong enough to match even Cobra without magic, so it's worth it." Angel said with a seductive smile as she stretched her back, her dress looking as if it were about to pop as her assets threatened to pop out, drawing Loki's eyes for even a fraction of a second, before he shook his head in annoyance, clenching his hands as his eyes shot everywhere but looking in Angel's direction, feeling a pang of guilt at the amount of wildlife that had been destroyed in their fight. Tree's had been broken from when Loki or the rare times Gemini-Natsu was thrown back from their fight.

"It leaves me curious though... How long can you keep this up? Because I'm confident that Gemini didn't have nearly enough magic to morph into Natsu on their own," Loki said with a sigh as he pulled his torn, and ruined Suit jacket off, annoyed that his new clothes had been ruined so quickly, and hanging it gently on a tree branch less that three feet to his right.

"I could ask the same of you, I'm curious, everything I had heard suggested that Karen was in possession of your key, but when Brain returned, all of her keys but yours in hand, I was shocked." Angel explained, Loki's eyes shooting wide in shock before a small smile grew on his face, glad that his friends might have been taken care of all this time. Perhaps he had truly saved them after all.

"Yeah, well, Karen and I were having a disagreement over our contract, and left my key at her apartment. And that's where Natsu found my key when he investigated her death." Loki explained as he carefully removed his burgundy red tie, that had miraculously remained untouched throughout this entire fight.

"How unfortunate, I think in another world we could have been good friends," Angel said with a sigh, as she stood up, knowing that when it came to keeping the gates open, Natsu had her dead to rights with two hands tied behind his back. This fight needed to end, now.

"We still can be, There's no way Natsu's going to-" Loki began, only to feel the magic from the other battleground completely die out instantly, and only for Natsu's unnatural presence to be felt left.

"See? That right there, is Natsu's trump card. His Hell Fire flames, Not even Brain, or could stand to them. So why don't you surrender?" Loki said confidently as he straightened up, his eyes meeting hers as he prayed she accepted. He was running out of magic, fast.

"How are you so sure? Brain has so many contingencies." Angel asked genuinely curious, grateful for everything he had done for her, but that doesn't mean she agreed with the things he was forcing them to do.

"Because now no magic, no matter how strong or unusual it may be can stand to the Fire Dragon Prince." Loki explained, the confidence on his face and the way he held himself left Angel more than curious, and shocked. Natsu was crazy strong, which is one of the reasons that was one of the only transformations Gemini had, was of him.

Could it be true? Could such a tyrannical fiend be vanquished by one man?

And onto the Reviews!

Everyone! Sorry I didn't get time to completely finish editing, I'll take a look at it tonight if I can, its Canada weekend!

Natsuharemfan- If it is not already clear, Brain will just completely use fear. Fear is almost stronger than any blackmail. Plus, If i were to have Brain do something like that, I would have had to written it in the Galuna Island Arc, which had no mention of that at all, which could have been even more reason to keep her locked up, instead of just wrong place wrong time kind of thing. If i had actually planned this out it would have been much more connected and influential to each other.


	54. Chapter 54

**Juvia's PoV**

"Juvia is worried about how they are doing," the bluenette spoke out from the back of an off-road Magic Mobile Erza and Cana had rented from clover town, as they trudged almond their way to Cait Shelter.

"Nah, don't sweat it raindrop, Natsu won't back down from the challenge," Cana replied confidently, with Erza nodding in agreement from the driver's seat, as she continued to drive north.

"I am inclined to agree with Cana, Deliora was a demon I am unsure anyone but Natsu had a chance to defeat, and yet Natau would have defeated him quite easily on his own," Erza explained as the car continued to drive over the bumpy flat land, the dirt having had dried out years ago from the sun.

And then the ground shook, a shockwave tearing leaves off of trees and sending them flying into the air, everyone's eyes widening as they watched the leaves flutter to the ground, some of them burnt and others simply torn to pieces.

"Maybe Natsu needs help?" Cana spoke up, worried by the sheer force of the explosion.

"No, if Natsu can match Deliora hit for hit, then his love will protect him," Sherry said as she looked into the forest, her hair ruffling in the wind as she looked for any sign that she was wrong.

"So what's the plan boss," Cana asked from the passenger seat, her right arm hanging out the window as she lazily kept an eye on the forest, her confidence in Natsu helping to improve morale as they approached the Cait Shelter Guildhall.

"Its just as I said early, we collect and restrain any and all stragglers, and prepare them for transport for the council. We do not engage unless engaged with, or Natsu requires our assistance. Unlike what I told Makarov, we will not wait for Natsu to be defeated, we will join if he needs help." Erza explained, a smirk growing on Cama's face while Juvia smiled, glad they didn't have to watch the man they cared so much for being beaten down.

"Juvia is curious how we will know Natsu-sama needs our assistance?" The bluenette asked worriedly as they got closer and closer to the small guild shaped like a cat.

"When the world stops burning," Erza replied with a frown, memories of the magenta colored fire dome that Natsu used to protect the people when fighting Jose... And remember how it completely melted her fire Empress Sword, something a blacksmith had said could not be replaced, is somehow unable to weld or smelt a new blade onto the hilt.

But why?

 **Angel's PoV**

"See that? That is a man who stands above everyone else. But instead of flaunting his power or money, he helps us out, giving us what we need to even dare think we could reach his level." Loki explained the passions in his voice. Actually surprising Angel surprised that he was that confident in him.

"How can you be so sure? Brain has decades of experience and knowledge! He has prepared and thought out every possible outcome of today. Whatever that is... Brain knows about it. You can't out think him, you can only submit to his power." Angel explained as she stood up, a glare on her face as GeminiNatau simply stood there, looking at the ground in shame.

Because they were unable to protect Angel from Brain's mental abuse, his constant mood swings and anger as _it_ attempted to escape, made Sorano cry herself to sleep too many times.

But the chance, the thought that Natsu had a chance? Their lost prince stronger than ever standing at his side? Perhaps... Just maybe... There is a chance.

Angel was shocked when she felt Gemini stop siphoning magic from her container to keep their transformation up, the young, moody Natsu being enveloped in a flash of unsung white light, allowing Loki to release a sigh as he fell to his knees, grateful that he no longer had to fight such a monster.

"Gemi! Mini! What's going on?" Angle asked curiously as she watched the two small, doll shaped entities float towards her, twirling in the air as they held hands.

"Leo has never lead us wrong," Gemi said as they stopped a foot in front of Angel, who felt as if her heart was in her throat. Her friendships with her spirits were the only thing that kept her going.

Hoteye is a wackjob, Cobra's a loner, Midnight is too busy sucking Brain's dick, and Racer is a flirty ass.

It really sucked being the only woman.

"He always kept us safe," Gemi explained, "Even stepping in our fights just to make sure we didn't get too hurt," Mini finished with a smile as they looked Angel in the eye.

"And because of that," Mini continued,

"We know he won't hurt us now." Gemi finished.

"Trust him, let home protect you as he did us, and escape them all," Gemini completed in unison, a tear rolling down her cheek as she felt her other keys vibrate in agreement, as she watched Gemini disappear, before looking at Loki, confused to see him staring at her in shock.

And then she heard someone approaching from the bushes behind Loki. Fearing the worst Angel whipped her keys out, prepared to ensure either Loki or the intruder, depending whom it was.

But was surprised to see the blue haired girl running out of the bush, being chased by a horde of Vulcans before rolling her eyes, shooting a huge blast of energy out of Caelum's key before Loki even had a chance to jump to his feet, completely obliterating all seven in one attack.

"Don't make me regret this," Angel warned as she glared at Loki, while both Wendy and Carla looked between the two shocked. They couldn't understand how they had reached _this._

But Loki just smiled as he got to his feet, dusting his ruined slacks off as he stretched out, only to wince as the closing cuts and scrapes on his torso opened up, blood dripping down his back and further staining his white shirt.

"Oh my god! Loki!" Wendy cried out as she ran towards the injured man, her hands enveloped in magic and prompting Angel to raise a brow in curiosity, curious what she was going to do.

What she least expected, were for his cuts to instantly close up the second her hand touched his skin.

Maybe she misjudged the kid after all.

 **Natsu's PoV**

If anything, he had to applaud them for their courage. Their magics were useless, and yet here they were, seemingly attempting to see if there was any limit as to how much magic they could consume.

Cobra stood there unloading a poison dragon roar, while Midnight attempted to bury Natsu as Racer attempted to slow his time down. It would have been successful if his Hellfire Drive didn't prevent their magic from getting anywhere within a meter of his body, the dirt beginning to form around his personal bubble of protection, and ended up protecting him from Cobra's poison.

It honestly reminded him of the first time he met Gildarts, watching in awe as the entire city rearranged itself for _one man._ It was a fight he could never forget, at the beginning Gildarts simply stood there and tanked his every hit. It was like Deja Vu, except this time, he was the tank.

"Good effort boys, not sure it was entirely successful, but a good effort," Natsu said from within the smog of dust and poison, a concentrated blast of fire exploding from his body and completely nullifying all the magic around them, including the poisonous mist that seemed to cling to the earth.

"Y **ou sound way too old, you really should hang out with more kids your age,*** END commented as he watched the conflict resolution from within Natsu's head.

Both Cobra and Racer glared at The Saint, their powers dying down as continued to stand their ground, hoping any of the others would be able to come to help out or something.

"So that's it then? You all give up and I get to go take out Brain?" Natsu asked confusedly as he released his hellfire drive, scratching the back of his neck in confusion as he looked at the three mages in front of him.

"No, this is more of a stalemate, we can't touch you, and you can't defeat us without either killing us or wasting too much magic." Midnight replied indignantly, never willingly submitting to anyone but _father..._

"I... Guess?" Natsu replied as he tilted his head, glad to hear that Loki's fight had ended, only to turn around shocked when he felt a large explosion of magic energy coming from that current position.

And then nothing.

"Uh oh, looks like Angel took a soul to hell~" Racer taunted while Cobra rolled his eyes, knowing for a fact that it was in fact the opposite. And to a degree Cobra couldn't blame her.

He could only imagine how long she could deal with Racers sexual harassment or even Brain's degrading remarks without it getting to her. Plus he's heard her cry herself to sleep more times than he would care to remember.

That's not to say he cared too much about her... But he could at least empathize.

"Actually, it's quite the opposite. It seems as if the Angel may be following her path to heaven," An unknown voice spoke, shocking all present as they turned around, watching as Fury appeared out of the darkness, walking into the clearing with too much confidence to put Natsu at ease.

"What do you mean?" Midnight asked curiously as he stared in the direction they felt the magic from, curious to see who would join the fight next.

"Angel has turned to their side,* Cobra replies nonchalantly, ignoring his guildmates shocked expressions that quickly turned to rage.

"What?! That bitch! I swear I'll cut her throat and-" Racer screamed before Natsu's fist quickly slammed into the time man's head, knocking him unconscious on impact and sending him flying into the forest.

"Well now, for once that was completely called for," Fury spoke up as he walked further into the clearing, watching as Natsu flashed back, standing in between Fury, Cobra and Midnight.

"Forgive me for being uninformed, but who are you?" Natsu asked worriedly as his eyes shot between the two prayers in front of him, and the unknown assailant behind him.

"I go by a few names, but you can call me Fury," the man spoke, his face still covered by the good over his head as he approached Natsu, the shadows almost reaching out to him as he walked further into the light, something that made Natsu narrow his eyes in worry.

 **"Now I never thought someone that strong was here, other than their leader person thingy,"** END spoke up, and Natsu had to agree with the demonic entity. When people did that, it was a fear ploy, but to do it subconsciously is a completely different story, especially since there was no magic coming off of him when it happened.

"Hello, Fury... What brings you To... This, end of town," Natsu asked as he gestured to the secluded forest, too close to the WMD to be a coincidence.

"Well, I left my house this morning trying to chase down a bag of milk and ended up... Here." Fury replied just as sarcastically, actually outing a smirk on cobra's face at their nonchalance.

"Would you like some milk?" Natsu asked as his right hand was enveloped in a white light, before it died down, revealing an actual jug of milk, making Fury laugh out loud as he stopped three feet in front of Natsu, who stood his ground, rather than let himself get pushed back into the two prayers.

 **'what the hell is going on here?'** END asked shocked as he watched Natsu hold a bag of milk out to this... this thug.

"You know what? I like you... But it's a shame I have to kill you," Fury spoke confidently, the hint of regret in his voice making Natsu almost believe the man was sorry. But he had no qualms with taking lives, that much was certain.

"You're welcome to try... But are you sure you can follow through on that?" Natsu asked as he glared at Fury, who stood confidently across from the Saint, while Cobra and Racer slowly disappeared into the darkness, waiting for the opportune time to strike...

"We'll see won't we?" Fury commented as his magic exploded around him, a mixture of yellow, black and a purplish white magic swirling around his body tearing up the ground around him as his clothes remained untouched.

Natsu was genuinely surprised by the amount of magic coming off the hired gun, who had been completely hiding his magic presence, feeling almost like a civilian or bystander.

But he also responded in kind, blinding white fire shooting up around his body, the forces from their magic already clashing even though they were not in contact.

And they were fairly even, Natsu simply matched the amount of magic Fury put off, which was almost on par with Laxus' own, but he had no way to know whether or not that was the apex of the man's strength.

Not to mention he had no idea what type of magic that was, even though it felt eerily familiar he gave it no focus, as he had encountered hundreds of different types or elements of magic's in his days.

Surprisingly Fury gave no indication he was about to strike, Natsu easily hearing the man's sprint as he channelehis magicic into his hands, ready to fend off the man's attack.

Fury struck almost as fast as racer, lightning fast punches aiming for his gut, head and thigh, the power exploding from his fist shocking Natsu as he attempted to catch the man's attack, his fingers unable to wrap around the gauntleted fist and allowing the shadowed man to land a strike right in Natsu's solar plexus.

And Natsu noticed three things from that single punch.

Firstly, Fury was very strong, the force behind the punch mixed with his magic sending Natsu flying back through a tree and into the brush.

Secondly, he was using more than one magic simultaneously, the shock that ran through his body being eerily similar to Laxus' lightning, but the explosion on contact was definitely not.

And thirdly? This was going to be a very challenging fight.

"Come on, get back up. I was promised more than this," Fury said disappointed as he stood watching the brush only for his body to disapate into black mist as Natsu's fist plowed through the back of his head, making Natsu grit his teeth as his fears were confirmed.

This hitman, was using three different magics. Shadow magic, lightning magic, and some explosive magic. The extent of all were also unclear.

"Come on, you can do better than that," Fury spoke as he stepped out of the shadows from the brush, approaching Natsu once more.

"You're pretty good, how come I've never heard of you?" Natsu asked as he cracked his neck, fire sprouting on his hands as he lowered into an offensive stance, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the hitman.

"I usually stick to the shadows, but somebody really wanted you dead, so they brought me in all the way from Bosco," Fury responded with a shrug, making Natsu smirk despite the situation.

"Pun intended?" Natsu asked before disappearing in a flash of fire, his fist slamming into the ground where Fury stood, creating a large crater of smoldering grass, but a smile remained on his face as he stood back up.

"A bit slow too, I'm beginning to get disappointed," Fury commented from the centre of the clearing his arms still crossed as he watched Natsu turn around, a smile on his face despite the situation, feeling an old nostalgic feeling bubbling in his chest as he stared at Fury.

Excitement. He used to long for battle, awaiting those fights that rattled him to his core and shook his confidence... But after Acnologia and his first encounter with the Oracion Seis, he had begun to lose his flare.

But, he refused to play a game of cat and mouse, especially when Brain has gone unopposed for too long, which only spelt disaster.

So it was time to get creative.

"As long as there are shadows, Including your own, I am forced to either surpass your speed, or predict your movements." Natsu commented as he looked at Fury in something akin to respect as fire gathered in his hands, making Fury uncrossed his arms in uncertainty.

"But what if I did this, _Fire Dragons Unending Luminescence!"_ Natsu shouted as he threw his fire unto the ground, which continued to spread across the ground like shattering glass, the flame completely covering the entire battlefield, but staying far away from the WMD.

And completely removing all nearby shadows.

"Well now, that's a buzzkill, I thought we were going to have a bit more fun before this got serious," Fury commented sadly, not as annoyed as Natsu would have thought, but he's okay with that.

"Well, I don't see why we still can't enjoy ourselves," Natsu said with a smile on his face as his fire slowly began to burn the man's boots, something Fury was very annoyed about.

"Come on man! I just took these to my cobbler last week! Plus this is my favourite pair!" Fury bemoaned as he looked back at Natau, who only shrugged with a smile on his face.

"Jerk," Fury commented as he disappeared in a flash of lightning, before reappearing beside Natsu, literally striking the ground with lightning and aending shocks through the saints body before sending a lightning fast kick to Natsu's face, hoping to physically remove the smile only to remain silent as Natsu just barely moved his head to the right and evade the kick, his left hand instantly finding its way around the man's calf and holding it in place as his right hand slammed down, intent on breaking the man's knee, only for him to flash away and send shocks through Natsu's body once more.

'Damn, this man is good. Luckily I'm pretty good with lightning too," Natsu thought as he disappeared in a ball of fire, following his magic presence and reverting a second after Fury did, his flaming fist landing squarely on the man's hooded face, sending him sliding back, having had barely braced himself for Natsu's strike.

"Fuck, I think you broke my nose!" Fury whined, as he ignored the trenches his feet had torn through even the fire as he slid back, the sole of his boots beginning to melt as his gloved hand reached into his hood to inspect the cartilage on his face.

But Natsu heard a sigh of relief.

"Well, that's a relief. Anywhooooo," Fury commented as this time he was struck by lightning, disappearing into the clear sky and leaving Natsu on guard, unsure as to what the man's next attack would be.

Until he felt magic from the sky, watching in shock as small balls shot down from the clouds, the outside being a purple that faded into a white interior.

'Plasma?!' Natsu thought shocked as he lowered his body in preparation to block the attack. 'plasma is the rarest, and if not the hardest element to control!' Natsu thought shocked as he blew a huge stream of HellFire Flames into the sky in a hope to block the plasma barrage.

The two distinct attacks met in a Fury of fire and light, creating an explosion so strong that trees were uprooted and sent flying further into the forest, while Natsu struggled to stand his ground.

The explosion was so loud and bright it could literally be felt miles away, worrying "Natsu's Angel's", Loki, Wendy and Sorano, who begrudgingly made their way away from the battle, hoping to track down the final two prayers and eliminate them before they could join in on the battle.

"Holy shit," Natsu thought shocked as he straightened his back, only to be forced backwards as Furies lightning infused fist impacted the ground where he was standing, before leaping forward, his limbs embued with lightning and speeding his movements as he threw a right jab, which Natsu batted aside before responding with a fiery knee.

"You're better than I thought," Fury said as he reached down with his left hand and deflected his knee with a hand full of lightning, and sending shocks through his body.

Natsu's just lucky hes fought Laxus' so much, otherwise, he'd be twitching on the ground from the amount of electricity coursing through his body.

"Thanks?" Natsu asked hesitantly as he threw a right jab towards Fury's face, who ducked to the left, just like Natsu wanted as he uncurled his hand once it passed Fury's shoulder, getting a tight grip before bending Fury over, directing the man's face towards his knee.

To which the man responded by blowing a small ball of plasma out of his mouth, and deflecting Natsu's flame covered knee, before flooring the momentum through, planting his hands on the ground and flinging his feet forward, attempting to knock the off balance Natsu to the fiery ground.

And surprisingly Natsu was unable to recover in time, failing to catch his balance in the half second it took Fury to retaliate and smash his left heel into Natsu's face, doing little to no damage but at least sending Natsu flying back.

Fury finished his impromptu flip, launching himself at Natsu the second his feet touched the ground.

"Shadow Fang!" Fury cried out as his fist was enveloped in a large black tusklike appendage which he aimed to impale the falling saint as they both fell towards the ground.

"Fire Dragons Reckless Implosion!" Natsu shouted the second he recovered, an explosion of flames emanating from his body and sending Fury flying, his attack forgotten as he flashed away to avoid the potent strength of Natsu's flames, before reappearing mostly unscathed after a lightning strike.

"Hey! This is my favourite outfit! What the hell man!" Fury yelled as he gestured to the burnt leather and frayed cloth, his hood even smoking as he stood across from a slightly winded Natsu.

"Unfortunately, it seems I made a mistake by holding back," Natsu explained as he cracked his neck, ignoring the damage his flame did to the surrounding trees, which were now a smouldering mess of ash and wood.

"Big mistake, I was holding back looking to at least prolong my fun," Fury added almost childishly as he nodded his head, making Natsu smile in annoyed appreciation.

"How about, we both stop holding back? And finish this, because either way were just wasting my time," Natsu offered kindly, watching as Fury rubbed his chin in fake thought before nodding his head.

"You sure? I'd hate to rock your world and everything you believe in," Fury replied almost condescendingly, making Natsu raise a brow in curiosity.

"You mean how you're a Dragon Slayer?" Natsu asked making Fury still, and finally, go silent.

 **Sherry's PoV**

"Look!" The pinkhaired woman cried out, bringing everyone attention to the explosion of flames peeking out above the trees, remembering Erza's warning.

"Very well, perhaps we should investigate. Sherry, you come with me, Cana, you go with Juvia. Find Loki and this Wendy if you can, then send a signal." Erza commanded as she broke into a run, with Sherry hiking her dress up and attempting to follow, while Cana and Juvia shared a look, before running the other direction into the forest.

"Erza! Wait! Do you have a change of clothes?" Sherry cried out after thirty seconds of running, having had been completely dressed improperly as her skirt kept catching on every twig and branch.

Erza turned around, seeing the worried and annoyed expression on Sherry's face and smiled, gr ateful that she, unlike other people, was smart enough to prepare better .

But it wasn't Sherry's fault for still wearing her dress, they hadn't had given her anytime to change.

"Here, be quick," Erza said as she walked towards Sherry, handing her a bundle of clothing before turning around, keeping her eyes peeled for any possible onlookers as Sherry rushed to get changed.

 **Natsu's PoV**

"I'm not surprised you figured it out, it just ruins my fun," Fury said with a sigh as stretched his arms before relaxing his body.

"Lacrima right?" Natsu asked curiously as he stood twelve feet opposite to the man, who burst out laughing.

"Lacrima? As in _singular?_ Try the plural form lacrimas," Fury shot back, enjoying Natsu shocked expression.

"That's right _prince_ , I have the power of three dragons, and last I checked you only had the power of one." Fury bit back, only to be confused by the smile on Natsu face as he held his hand up, a ball of blinding white flames appearing in his hands, that turned maroon black, giving off an entirely different, and sinister aura.

And then the flames turned pure green. All three flames having different magic presences.

"Actually were fairly equal, I only have two offensive elements... Not so special now are ya?" Natsu said as he lowered his hand to his side.

"Would you look at that... You did have a trick up your sleeve... But you don't have enough control to use it?" Fury asked curiously as Lightning began to ark off of him, watching in amusement as Natsu's eyes narrowed.

Because to some degree Fury was right, he was afraid of using his Hellfire flames because he was scared of killing someone, or draining their magic dry.

"Perhaps, but with all this light you're still unable to use the shadows to your advantage. That's the downfall to shadow magic, the more light there is, the weaker the shadows are," Natsu commented, their battle turning to knowledge and will rather than fire and magic.

"Smarter than you look, but enough with the chit-chat, let's take this somewhere we can actually have fun, I'd rather not trigger the tree," Fury says before lightning struck him, removing him from the Waas Forest and leaving Natsu very conflicted.

Should he follow immediately and leave Loki and Wendy on their own or-...

'what is that smell...' Natsu thought as he stood still in the clearing, the fiery flames on the ground dying away as a light breeze tore through the forest and towards his nose.

'Strawberries, rain, and the faint smell of alcohol,' Natsu thought, a huge smile blooming on his face as he realized backup was here.

And then disappeared in a ball of fire, shooting towards the cast expanse of desert between Cait Shelter and Clover Town.

 **Loki's PoV**

 **"** Why has the fighting stopped, what's going on?" Wendy asked worriedly as they stood up, having had decided to wait for Natsu to finish the fight, Angle having had wanted to test Natsu, and let him handle it on his own.

"I don't know Wendy... But I bet Natsu finished the-" Loki began, only for their heads to shoot up when they saw a ball of fire shoot off into the distance, an entire minute after a lightning strike.

"A paragon of truth and justice was he? Well, it looks like he just ran away..." Angel said disappointedly as she turned around, leaving a shocked and torn Loki, Wendy, and Charle in their small clearing as she disappeared into the forest.

"No, it can't be..." Loki whispered as he watched the fire shoot away towards the desert, but Wendy held onto her hope, even if she wasn't sure what to do next.

"But it is... I'm not surprised that Angel turned... I knew she was considering betraying us, but I understood why. I just never thought she had the confidence to do it." Cobra spoke up as he snuck up behind Loki, Wendy, and Charle, scaring all of them onto the ground as they scrambled to turn towards him.

"And unfortunately, you are all loose ends... Including her. I was going to let her go if she managed to escape. But now, I gotta kill her too." Cobra spoke up as his poison magic sparked at his fingertips, preparing to eliminate the fairy and cats before him.

And they just stared at him in dread, hoping to Mavis that Natsu gets back... Or may God take mercy on their souls, because if they had to bet Cobra had at least twice as much magic left as both Wendy and Loki combined, still remaining in his magic container.

"Why though, why do you insist on a perpetuating circle of death and pain? If all of you worked together you would be able to end Brain's reign of terror!" Charle argued as she flew in front of Cobra, putting herself in the line of fire in an attempt to let Wendy regain her strength, knowing of her ability to regain her magic simply through consuming Air.

And Cobra actually smiled despite himself, unable to deny the instant respect the flying cat had earned, having no ability to fight or even really defend herself, but still trying to stall and protect her charge and Loki.

"Even then, If we all went to oppose Brain he would undoubtedly best all of us, but Midnight would forever fight by Brain's side. It's an impossible feat to defeat us all. We are simply at the whim of a madman, our own prayers stomped and forgotten, abused and warped to fit his goals, roads of broken promises and streams of tears spotting our story... That is the life we live, and our last prayer will fall and break just like all the others, even if he stood a small chance," Cobra explained despondently, surprising the heroes and mages before him, having had never thought that some of them maybe _wanted_ Natsu to win.

And they fought him, testing to see if he could fulfill their dreams... And now Natsu had disappeared, and they didn't know WHY.

Silence reigned over them for a few seconds before Cobra's head shot to Loki, more amused than surprised that he was doing his best to block his thoughts, but he could still hear most of them.

"You're right, by the way... Natsu didn't run away, he had to take his fight elsewhere to prevent damaging _Nirvana,"_ Cobra explained, making Loki wince before his eyes shot open, shocked that he had divulged the name of the weapon they were sent to protect.

"However, don't think that Natsu will make it back... The boss was worried enough he actually _hired_ help, a failsafe to defeat the Salamander. The fury of the night, the scourge of Bosco, is matching the salamander a hit for hit as we speak..." Cobra explained, Loki's eyes shooting open in shock at the mere thought that someone could _keep up_ with the prince of Dragons, and give him a run for his money.

Loki was about to speak up, unaware of whom Cobra was speaking of, before both his head and Wendy's shot to the forest to the South East, both of them hearing the pounding feet on the earth as someone, or something tore through the tree's as gracefully of possible, but it almost seemed as if there was more than one person moving through the woods.

"Fuck!" Cobra hissed quietly under his breath, his legs shattering the ground beneath him as he quickly lunged forward, his fingers splayed and covered in poison as he rose to strike Loki, hoping to remove him from the fight as soon as possible, knowing exactly what was coming for him... and boy was he in trouble. Loki's eyes flashed before his eyes as he saw Cobra's glowing Purple claws appear in front of his eyes before he could blink... and his last regret was that he had failed Natsu, unable to protect Wendy as he had promised to.

But he was shocked when he felt a strong gust of wind, push his head to the side, barely avoiding Cobra's deadly claws as it sailed past his left ear, but he couldn't dodge Cobra's following knee slamming into the protector's gut, forcing Loki to double over as an elbow sailed towards the back of his neck, another killing blow, surprising Charle at just how deadly the man was.

People like Natsu, Erza and Gray would usually attack to disable, aiming to knock people out, rather than outright kill them. It was a testament that Cobra was prepared and trained to kill so quickly and efficiently, especially since the amount of force he would have to produce with his shoulder is very hard to create.

Loki was too out of breath and disabled to even attempt to defend himself, and was once again at Cobra's mercy in the span of a second, who was completely ignoring Wendy, and aiming to remove Loki from the playing field, the thumping on the forest floor getting closer and closer.

" _Sky Dragon's Talon!"_ Wendy yelled, surprising Cobra, who was completely focused on Loki, and what could be called his impending doom, which allowed himself to be sucker kicked by Wendy in the ear, the brutality of such an attack making Charle smirk as Cobra's body was knocked off balance, but not to the ground, a testament to Cobra's strength as his hand caught the back of Loki's neck, even after his Elbow missed his attack, and slamming Loki's tired body to the ground, a groan escaping his throat as he laid on the ground, arms twitching as he moved to get up.

Wend had flipped off of Cobra's head, landing on her hands and knees, her hands on the ground in front of her as she stared up at Cobra through her bangs, a surprisingly vicious expression on her face as her eyes met Cobra's.

"And so the hatchling has fangs," Cobra comments, uninjured save for a slight scratch on the side of his head beside his along his sideburns, while Wendy remained low to the ground, her hips lifted slightly in the air, as she looked almost like a cat prepared to strike, showing that not all slayers were taught to fight the same way.

Charle wasn't surprised, in fact, she was very proud. Wendy had explained that Sky Dragons were generally smaller than other dragons, and thus they had an entirely different fighting style that allowed them an advantage in combat.

"Let's see if they can draw blood," Cobra said as he crouched before lunging forward, his fists covered in poison as he descended down upon Cobra, actually fairly excited to see just how well Wendy would fair in a fight, since she was around sixteen to seventeen years old, and would hopefully have had a bit of fighting experience.

Wendy jumped forward, her hands surrounded by a grayish blue aura, the physical manifestation of her magic as she rose to meet his attack.

 **Charle's PoV**

The motherly cat watched anxiously as Wendy appeared to sidestep Cobra's attack, mid-air as her hands sought out his kidney, hoping to chop him from the back as he fell towards the ground, only for the prayer to roll his body over mid-air, his foot reaching for her head, topped with several, deadly, poisonous spikes.

She twirled gracefully out of the way, surprising Loki, who had gotten to his knees, unsure as to where this change in her had come from, before looking to Charle for insight, who watched as Cobra reached this ground, his right hand outstretched as he flipped himself onto his feet, before lunging back towards Wendy, who seemed not to even bare the effect of gravity whatsoever as she twirled gracefully in the air.

"How..." Loki muttered as he watched Wendy practically dance around Cobra's attack, before he fell back towards the ground, have to leap to reach Wendy, who continued to levitate almost ten feet in the air, the unseen grayish magical soles on the bottom of her shoes allowing her to stay in the air.

"When was, obviously distraught, after being abandoned by her dragon Grandine," Charle began as they watched Wendy twirl around a jab, duck under a brutally fast cross and practically soar over a knee in under two seconds, before jumping back, the wet sheen of sweat becoming visible on her brow as she continued to levitate in the air, staring down at Cobra, their eyes meeting in a battle of wills.

He wasn't willing to go all out, having to save his strength, and she was doing his best to simply avoid his attacks. It was curious to see who would win, she remains mostly unscathed, or he puts more power out.

"But with mine, and the rest of Cait Shelter's help, we were quickly able to rekindle the fighting spirit within Wendy... And six years later here she is, a force to be reckoned with," Charle explained proudly, a feeling Loki shared as he watched Wendy stand tall and proud, 10 feet in the air, a very, very smart move on her part.

Gravity is a bitch, and generally, some mages even without the capability of flight are strong enough to be able to continue fighting in free fall, but that is almost impossible when they are flying, and so close to the ground. So for a very close-combat based mage like Cobra, he was practically forced to jump at her and attempt to ground the sky dragon... if he could hit her.

Charle was just surprised he hadn't turned around and attempted to finish Loki off, but as she suspected even he followed a strict code of honor, not preying on a downed enemy.

But, it seemed as if he was out of time to try again, as footfalls could be heard less than twenty feet away, audible to even Loki, a small smile growing on Wendy's face that made Cobra roll his eyes.

And it made Charle wonder whether Cobra actually wanted to win the fight, even though he tried to kill them... He didn't seem that annoyed at the chance of losing.

"C'mon pretty boy, where are ya!" A very, memorable voice called out, prompting everyone to slowly turn their heads to look at Loki, an embarrassed blush on his cheeks as he gently rose to his feet, not wanting to give Cana any more reasons to tease him. But he was surprised to hear the second voice.

"Cana-san, why do you refer to Loki as "Pretty Boy"," A certain bluenette asked, prompting Loki to raise an eyebrow before a smile began to grow on his face, as he began to realize just what was going on, and why these specific people were here.

"Over here Cana! We have a member of the Seis here!" Loki called out, turning to look at Charle, amused that he had heard the cat release a small sigh of relief, glad that the newcomers were in fact friendlies, rather than foes.

Cana and Juvia quickly broke through the tree line almost instantly after they heard one of the enemies was with him and were very surprised by what they saw.

First off, there was a blue haired, teenage girl literally floating in mid-air. The next thing they noticed was the prayer, a maroon haired main, wearing a singed white overcoat and red pants. Loki, was shirtless and his pants were torn to shreds, and there was what was a clearly female flying cat... Just like Happy.

Loki was more than glad to see both Juvia and Cana unscathed, and between them all, he was confident that Cobra would be unable to win.

"Cana Alberona... The drunk card mage. And is that... Juvia Lockser? An s-class mage from the now disbanded Phantom Lord Guild?" Cobra asked, genuinely shocked that people who were enemies not even a week earlier were standing side by side like good friends. All present were surprised by his knowledge of their guild, even Wendy who slowly floated towards the ground, looking over her shoulder and sending the girls a smile.

"Juvia is surprised that you recognize us so easily, but is curious as to why you aren't currently fighting or attempting to attack us," Juvia spoke up as she walked forward, not an ounce of fear in her body as she stood beside her fellow bluenette, emphasizing the age difference between the two.

"Oh, don't think for one second that I'm gonna give up, I may be a criminal, but I am no fool. With Racer and Hot-eye unconscious and Angel defected, only Midnight, Brain and myself remain standing... other than our hired gun," Cobra explained, standing strong and confident as Cana stood by Wendy's side.

"So you're gonna turn yourself in, right?" Cana asked, a hand on her hip as she looked at one of the most feared men in Fiore, almost helpless before her.

"Wait, who is this hired gun? Juvia is worried about Natsu-sama's absence..." Juvia spoke up, a controlled but fearful expression on her face as she looked at Cobra, hearing Loki approach as the cat flew into Wendy's arms, prompting Cobra to roll his eyes at their attempted to become more intimidating as a group.

"Here's the deal, I beat you all, and I get to walk away... If you all beat me... then I tell you where, and whom Natsu is fighting..." Cobra offered, a dangerous smirk on his face while the legal mages in front of him looked at him shocked, that he would even attempt to fight them all at once... but given that Natsu didn't take the time to defeat him... Maybe there really was a Cobra was on the list of top ten most wanted mages in all of Fiore.

"You really think you can beat all of us... at the same time?" Cana asked, surprised but a little worried as to just how strong this man is... because he wasn't unconscious yet, so Natsu didn't get the chance to defeat him... It seems as if they still had a tough battle ahead of them.

 **Sherry's PoV**

"Erza, was it smart to split up? Given how strong the Oracion Seis are, what if we are defeated?" Sherry asked nervously as they continued through the forest, walking around the other side of where the fire and lightning were spotted, hoping to ambush any remaining enemies.

"Of course it-" Erza said, only to stop abruptly, her right hand shooting up in the air, causing Sherry to pause in surprise, only for Erza to blur forward, a flash of light enveloping her hands, and the next Sherry saw of her Erza was crouching on the ground beside a body, covered in a skin-tight silver and red fighting suit.

"Whoa, who's that?" Sherry asked as she walked forward, realizing that Erza had put magic suppressing cuffs on the man, who appeared to have a very long, pointed nose, and protective speed goggles for his eyes.

"Given the intel Levy had given us, I am to believe that this is Racer, one of the Six Oracion Seis members..." Erza replied as she lifted him into a sitting position, before gesturing Sherry forward.

"Can you please hold him up? I am unaware of how strong this man is physical, I will tie him up as well." Erza said, making Sherry tilt her head before she shrugged, kneeling beside the unconscious man in her leather tights, before placing her hands on the man's left shoulder, watching as Erza wrapped thick, woven steel rope around his arms, pinning them to his torso, before knotting it.

"What are we going to do with him though... It's not like we can carry him with us as we go?" Sherry asked curiously before Erza knelt on the ground, her hand being enveloped in a huge flash of white, before growing to almost the size of a horse, forcing Sherry to hold her arm over her eyes, leather protecting her vision as the light died down... To reveal a huge cage on a cart, the exact same cart that two full grown horses would pull.

"We put them in here, once learning of Natsu's mission I quickly went to the nearest council branch, and contacted our mutual friend in the council, and requested this," Erza explained as she opened the cage, before literally grabbing the man from the rope, with one hand, and throwing him in the cage.

"That... makes sense," Sherry muttered under her breath in shock at Erza's prowess and physical strength.

Erza began to walk towards the front of the cart, with Sherry following in step, only for a sound to be heard coming from their right, making Sherry's eyes shoot open in shock.

"Duck!" Sherry cried out as she tackled Erza to the ground, a distinct 'spst' sound going over Sherry's head before something slammed into the bars of the cage, bending the lacrima infused metal into itself, almost breaking through the cage bars.

Sherry quickly rolled off of Erza, only to cry out in surprise as the ground began to shift under them, the dirt shifting and building above their body, literally attempting to bury them.

Erza was covered in a flash of light as she held her arms out in front of herself, two large shields being held in her hands, covering both her and Sherry as a green barrier appeared above them, just in time as another invisible crescent of death slammed into the earth dome above them, and slamming into the shield, sending jolts through Erza's shoulder as she held off their death.

"Doll Attack; Hand of the Titan!" Sherry cried out, her magic creating a circle under them, as they began to shoot into the air, carried by the hand of a titan as it rose out of the ground, and negating the deadly invisible crescent, the dirt above them cracking and exploding, revealing the afternoon light once again.

"What was that?!" Sherry cried out in shock as they both shot to their feet, standing on the large hand, that looked almost like a tower twenty-five feet in the air, giving them a perfect bird's eye view of the forest, and the man slowly exiting the brush, looking up at them in disdain as he levitated on his magic carpet.

"And what do we have here, the council had forbidden anyone from assisting the Salamander in our capture... so why are two fairy flies buzzing around..." The man spoke, prompting Erza's eyes to narrow while Sherry looked around, hoping to see any signs of the others, Loki, or Natsu... and all she saw was a scorched ground, with multiple craters... around twelve feet away from an unusually chained tree.

 **Fury's PoV**

The hired gun was sitting on the ground, steadily growing angrier as the seconds went by, furious that Natsu appeared to double cross him... Until he saw a rapidly approaching fireball, prompting the faux slayer to jump to his feet, excited that they could now go all out.

 **A/N** I'm sorry it took me this long to finish the chapter, but I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with Nirvana, the pairings, and who would fight who! I wanted to finish this chapter, rather than make a few 2k chapters.


	55. Deadlock

And Onto the Story!

 **Natsu's PoV**

"Now why are you so late young man!" Fury chastised as a mother would their child, shaking his fist at Natsu who stood ten feet away from the assassin, an amused expression on his face as he stared at the cloaked man.

"Sorry dad, I had to clean up my room first," Natsu replied as he rolled his eyes. **'WHAT ON EARTHLAND?! Why must you play along with this fools game, just defeat him already!'** END yelled inside Natsu's head, furious that the largest challenge Natsu has had in the past few years is an imbecile who can't take Natsu seriously.

'Clearly, he is trying to piss me off, hoping I will make a mistake... It is a tactic Laxus drilled into me to ignore.' Natsu replied as he stood still, his face blank and eyes calm as he stood strong in front of Fury, who slumped his shoulders, disappointed Natsu no longer wanted to play around.

"You're such a fuddy-duddy, you know that?" Fury asked before he shot towards Natsu, lightning dancing off of his body as he threw lightning fast attacks at Natsu, a mixture of jabs and kicks as he circled the Saint, who blocked each and every attack he could, aiming to protect his vital areas while tanking the rest, unable to deny just how fast this man was.

"Forgive me for not playing along, but I have had a very trying week, and a day off would be amazing..." Natsu replied as he slammed his fists together, encased in fire.

" _Fire Dragon's Deadly Implosion!_ " Natsu said, a dangerous tide of flames shooting out of every pore on his body, forcing Fury to back off. **'Finally, I didn't think I would have to wait ten minutes for you to get even remotely serious. Stop wasting time you idiot and beat his ass. Time's a ticking,'** END protested angrily, surprising Natsu at the demons change in attitude...

'What's the hell has gotten into you? First, you don't even care and don't even try to help. And now you're giving me advice?' Natsu asked, honestly annoyed, but more worried as he stared at Fury, who was quickly batting embers off of his jacket.

"I honestly was expecting a little bit more, that barely even hurt," Natsu asked as the fire died down, smoke slightly billowing off of the scorched, burnt sand below them that had turned to glass from the heat of the flames... But Natsu was unharmed from Fury's lightning Barrage.

"Yeah... Not sure what I was trying for either," Fury responded with a shrug, before lightning exploded off his body, arcing the air around him, while the hair's on Natsu's arm straightened from the electricity he was putting off.

"We're playing that game... huh," Natsu muttered as bright orange flames exploded off his own body in kind, the dirt in the sand smoldering and burning around Natsu in a four-foot radius as it began to melt...

 **'Now while I understand you saving your magic for the final big boss... You may not be able to defeat this man half-assed,'** END commented, the first, useful statement he has uttered since his release... and it left Natsu worried... For the demon to be hesitant... truly this man was more of a threat than Natsu realized.

'Awww, are you worried I'm going to lose?' Natsu asked with a smirk on his face as he lunged towards Fury, moving at the speed of light as they engaged in ground shaking combat, their bodies silhouetted by their respective magics, becoming a blinding blur of fire and lightning... their magic exploding upon every contact, the explosions burning and blinding.

But as they continued to fight, Fury began to put less and less lightning in his attacks and began using his Plasma to enhance his blows, each and every punch Fury threw doubled in power as he infused more and more plasma into his attacks.

With every attack Natsu blocked, his body shook a little bit more, his arm was pushed back an inch further, and his feet implanted the ground just a little further. The more and more plasma he used, Natsu's feet began to crater the ground below him, his knees bending further to better handle the force bearing down on him as he waited for an opportunity to gain the upper hand once more.

 **'I get that you're some big shot Wizard Saint, but you won't win if you keep fighting him at anything less than full power!'** END commented angrily from inside Natsu's head as he watched the prince of fire dragons get pushed back by a man with a few lacrima's... But it was still obvious Natsu was nowhere near losing... His favorite black scaled armor was still mostly intact, with no actual holes been put in it yet.

'What's up with you recently? Why so worried about me losing now?' Natsu asked, genuinely worried about the demons large change in his demeanor.

 **'Because this time you have no more backup lacrima's to fill up on magic when you do something stupid...'** END commented in annoyance, but he had a good point. This time, Natsu had no more opportunities to refill on magic, nobody else could support him, and right now he had nobody else he could rely on. This was the first time he had to defeat a strong enemy and be forced to fight another right after... Not even fighting the Element Four and Gajeel combined was as hard, since he was already going in at around eighty-five percent...

"Oh come on, why aren't you even trying? I keep trying to push you and all you do is just block my attacks?!" Fury cried out in annoyance as a bolt of lightning slammed down into Natsu, electricity arcing off of his body as he stood in the now foot deep crater, while fury frowned at the saint.

"Then why are you holding back as well? Why should I go all out if you aren't going to either? Why should I match your magic output when you can't even hurt me as I am now?" Natsu asked seriously as he stared back at Fury.

"You-! You can't just use my own words against me! I'm the one who's been hired to kill you, I'm the one you don't know. But you! You are the man who's been the sixth wizard Saint for the last five years! I want to see the strength of a man who has refused any opportunity to rise any higher because of the man who holds the fifth rank!" Fury ranted, while Natsu's eyes widened a bit in surprise, as he hadn't told anyone about the fact he refused to raise higher... Sure people have suspected it, but...

"Yeah, that's right! Of course, I've been keeping my eyes peeled on information about my supposed prince!" Fury cried out, making Natsu's brows narrow as he started to realize something about Fury... He hated to be looked down upon. The fact Natsu had basically said all of his attacks so far have barely left a mark... Clearly, this man was hated to be looked down upon, and that was his trigger.

"But... isn't that like, the most useless information to have though? I'm strong, so what. Experience trumps magic every time..." Natsu asked, his brows furrowed in mock confusion, hoping to piss Fury off even further, only to watch as the man still for a second, before sighing, as he lowered himself down into a different fighting stance.

"No, you're right. Experience trumps magic... But this time, no holding back, no going half hard... Your throne is on the line, Prince! If I win, you step down for me... But if you win... My life is in your hands!" Fury yelled out in controlled anger, his arms held out to the sky, his eyes searching the clouds almost as if he were looking for some higher power's approval... A sign...

And it will always be remembered, as for on that day, in the darkening afternoon sky... the stars glowed red for ten, seconds.

 **Igneel's PoV**

 **"Are you certain it is smart to allow young Natsu to put the throne up as a prize like that?"** The Celestial Spirit king asked, his naturally booming voice echoing in the council room, that levitated above the clouds. But they weren't present physically, but balls of ethereal, magical light, not quite unlike the same ball of light the Valkyrie arrived on earthland in.

Igneel was a large ball, of swirling red and orange fire... Dragon Fire.

The Celestial Spirit King took the appearance of a swirling ball of stars and space matter, looking almost like a patch of outer space, somehow pulled into the atmosphere of Earthland. They were floating around an obsidian black large, round table, with a circular cut out in the middle... And there were about seven or eight empty seats...

 **"This is integral for us to see how much Natsu has improved... We both know just how furious the council was the last time I interfered... as I was only permitted so much time to spend with him in the first place. This man, while he may not be a real dragon Slayer... is one of the strongest slayers on Earthland..."** Igneel replied, part of his duty as king of Dragon's, was to keep an eye on any, and all dragon slayers on Earthland... Something the Council was very adamant on after Acnologia's rise to self-acclimation.

 **"If you're certain... I find it hard not to respect the young prince. Even in the face of my power he stood strong in his beliefs and protected his friends... All my spirits respect him, and even more, are excited that he may train my other Stellar Mages. Are you sure it was a good idea to let him absorb Atlas' flame?"** The spirit King responded before disappearing in a large white flash, the encompassed the entire room, a loud, sound of a gong echoing through the council room leaving Igneel on his own, stewing in his thoughts.

 **'Don't let me down now Natsu, don't lose control... For the world is not nearly prepared for the release of the Demon King...'** Igneel thought worriedly as he stared down upon Natsu, having had always thought maybe it was a bad decision to allow Natsu the use of the Hellfire Flames, the dark aspect of the flames possibly accelerating END's release.

 **Erza's PoV**

"And you must be Midnight... I see you have escaped the Salamander's clutches," Erza spoke confidently as she stepped off of the Titan's hand, internally commenting on how detailed the entire arm was, being able to discern individual muscles and veins on its arm. She landed roughly, but her knees did not bend, even as her grieves cratered the ground, before walking forward, drawing her sword from her scabbard and pointing it at the prayer.

"Out of my way Titania, I have no time to waste on you now, Brain has contacted me and requires my aid," Midnight dismissed as he floated past them on his carpet, even continuing as Erza flung a dozen swords at him, the swords just bending around his body, leaving him untouched.

"Unfortunately I am not allowed to let you pass," Erza replied as her body was enveloped in a flash of white light, reappearing in front of Midnight's body with a saber-toothed dagger in each hand, both pointed at the deadly mage before her.

"I will _not_ disobey Brain's order. Either you move aside and I allow you to live... Or you die by your own blade," Midnight threatened as he daggers shot out of her hands, a small, dark blue band of magic on the hilt of the daggers, as one pointed directly at her jugular vein, and the other pointed directly at her left cornea.

Sherry's eyes shot open in fear as she looked at Erza, one of the strongest women she had ever met, put on the ropes in just the blink of an eye. And then her eyes narrowed, her eyes narrowing before they shot open, glowing a hot, fluorescent pink as a magic circle appeared on each of her palms.

"Doll Make; Locusts from the Past!" Sherry cried out as leaves and twigs from the surrounding forests shot towards Midnight, thousands of leaves swarmed around Midnight, who simply sat there, the slight break in his concentration just barely enough for Erza to grab her daggers and put them in her requip space, removing the immediate danger as she jumped back, giving her a little, more space since Midnight was much more dangerous than she realized.

Once Sherry noticed that Erza was out of harm's way, the locusts of the forest stopped swarming Midnight and flew towards Sherry, the twigs and sticks falling away as the fallen leaves flew towards Sherry, swarming around her before stilling.

"Doll Make; Wings of the Autumn Angel!" Sherry cried out as her wings flew open, revealing she had two, very, large wings of Auburn, orange, and red leaves of all sizes and types. It was as beautiful as it was a statement. She looked like a warrior princess, her bubblegum pink hair held up into a high ponytail, tied off with a leather strap. Her chest was covered by an ornate, brown leather corset. a leather belt crossed over from her heart to her right shoulder, where a piece of detailed, brown leather covered her right shoulder. Both her arms were left bare, including her entire left shoulder.

There were smaller leather straps spanning her waist, holding her stomach plate in place. She had tight brown leather tights on, that further emphasized her athletic figure. She had leather greaves and vambraces on, to protect her limbs. Sherry quickly flew down, landing by Erza's side, her wings quickly dispelling, leaving a pile of leaves behind her, as the two fairies stood opposing to the prayer.

"Neither of you has a chance of winning, even the prince could not defeat me, what hope do you have?" Midnight asked, bored out of his mind as he looked at the two fairies who stood before him, trying to ignore the bubbling excitement in his chest, excited to defeat them and drag them to his _father._

 _"_ While that was unnecessarily showy, thank you," Erza said with a side glance as she lowered into a fighting stance... With Sherry lowering in tandem, while Midnight simply rolled his eyes.

They heard the sound of something cutting the air, and both fairies ducked to the ground. Erza rolled to the left, jumped over another crescent, slid under another and twirled over the fourth, as she slowly approached Midnight, the speed at which the crescents were flying towards them pushing Erza to use her Flight armor's abilities to evade and dodge the deadly invisible blades of air.

Sherry, on the other hand, had reused her Wings of the Autumn Angel and was flying through the sky, doing her best to avoid the unending barrage of wind blades.

"Your attempts to defeat me are petty and useless," Midnight said with a sigh as he waved his right hand in the air, having had not moved from his spot, even with Erza only a mere four feet away... She was torn away, dark blue bands of magic encompassing pieces of her armor and sending her fly back into a tree.

"Erza!" Sherry cried out as she flew towards the ground, evading the last crescent of death before landing by Erza's side, her wings falling apart once more into a pile of leaves as she helped the scarlet knight to her feet.

 **Cobra's PoV**

"So let's have at it, shall we?" Cobra asked before disappearing suddenly disappearing... revealing that the Cobra that had spoken to them, was simply an after image.

"What the hell! Can all Dragon Slayers move this fast?!" Cana screamed in shock as she instantly fell into a battle stance, her left shoulder to Wendy, and her right to Juvia, all of them back to back with Loki, awkwardly in the middle, rubbing his head in confusion as he stared over Wendy's head, as they all surveyed their parts of the forest, looking for any sign of Cobra.

"Up there!" Loki cried out as he pointed to the sky, making everyone realize that the oversized, deadly Cubelios was conscious once more.

"What the hell!? I knocked that snake out myself! Ohhhh, Natsu's going to be so disappointed in me, I should have made sure it stayed unconscious..." Wendy said, disappointed in herself for not ensuring that his enemies stayed unconscious, especially when he took his own time to help take it down... If momentarily.

"Umm, Girl-whom-I-don't-Know, If you knew Natsu better, you'd know he would never be disappointed in you," Cana said with a sign before reaching down into her fluffy blue purse that was hanging around her shoulder and pulling out a few cards, while Juvia simply raised her hands, her body beginning to slightly ripple as she looked up at the sky, curious to see what Cobra was going to do.

"Her name is Wendy Marvel," Charle interrupted in her usual, snobby fashion, her jaw dropping when Cana just continued to ignore her, and simply looked Juvia in the eye before they nodded in unison. Juvia instantly shot into the sky, her body turning into a huge serpent of water as she flew towards Cobra and Cubelios.

"Prayer's Fountain!" Cana cried out as she threw a single card at the ground, causing a geyser of water to shoot up into the sky, water that was quickly controlled by Juvia, aiding her in propelling herself towards Cobra, who smirked, not in the least bit, surprised, shocked, or worried.

"Right, smart, Not bad even, as it removes the danger of poison to Juvia... But you forgot one thing," Cobra said as he sat on Cubelios' neck, patiently waiting for Juvia to reach a more critical distance.

"Poison Dragon's Roar!" Cobra shouted once Juvia was six feet away, a thick, deadly torrent of gaseous poison shot towards Juvia, and fending off her attack, aiding Gravity in bringing the rain woman back to the ground, her water body reverting back from the serpent.

"Right, is there anything else we should know about this guy? Summoned Lightning!" Cana cried out as she threw three cards into the sky, the cards glowing and swirling around eachother as they reached closer and closer to Cobra, who just smiled as Cubelios flew straight towards the cards, opening it's large, deadly maw and swallowing the cards.

"What?! Oh come on, the snake can nullify magic!" Cana cried as she looked up at the Snake charmer, her arms crossed under her impressive bosom before looking at Wendy, who adorably dug her right foot into the ground in a bashful manner, while Charle rolled her eyes.

"Perhaps, it would do you better to let someone answer your questions before acting on instinct?" the white cat asked, prompting Juvia to tilt her head in confusion, trying to figure out why Charle was being so rude.

"Oh, don't take it personally, she's... always like that," Loki spoke up after looking at Wendy, not having a concrete idea of her age, and not wanting to swear in front of her.

"Right... Any ideas on how to down a dragon?" Cana asked in worry as she stared at Cobra and Cubelios, who were gracefully flying in the air, doing gentle circles above them in the sky, circling around them like vultures, homing in on their prey.

"Juvia believes we need to fight in tandem. If we were to combine our magic's together, surely we can reach him," Juvia offered kindly as she stared up at Cobra, her posture and demeanor downplaying just how strong she was. She was, easily the strongest mage there, and yet she was still asking for their opinion, proof of her kind heart.

"By the way, before you guys plan any further... Cobra can read minds, it how he remained unscathed from both of your attacks. His hearing magic, combined with his dragon slayer abilities allows him to literally hear people's thoughts." Loki commented, everyone, turning to look at him in shock, now beginning to realize just how deadly this man was.

Being a Dragon Slayer on its own was more than dangerous enough for them to take him seriously. Add in a crazy strong, large, flying serpent and his ability to hear thoughts made them realize that they have a really good chance of losing this fight.

"Come on Fairy Flies! There's only enough room in the sky for one dragon! The hunt is on!" Cobra called out, more than aware of their conversation... And not caring one bit. Wendy was inexperienced and too eager. Juvia was too focused on Natsu, Cana was too confident, trying to prove herself, and Loki was too injured to pose much of a threat. Time to pick them off, one, by, one.

 **Fury's PoV**

Fury was more than disappointed when Natsu simply rolled his eyes, his fists lighting on fire... The flames burning so brightly they would blind him if he wasn't so used to being struck by lightning.

"What is up with all of you people. There are more valuable things that someone's life... Like information," Natsu spoke, his eyes appearing to light on fire, burning bright white, with fire licking off of it as he stared at the mercenary.

"And what do you want to know?" Fury spoke in kind, lightning beginning to crackly, and arc of his body, the smell of ozone permeating from his pores as he stared Natsu down, excited to taste the flames of a true fire dragon... not these pansy flames Natsu was using earlier.

"If I win... I want you to be my informant... You may take jobs, but no more assassinations. And when, or if I call on you for assistance... You will answer. Do you accept?" Natsu spoke, only to take a ball of plasma to the face, having had been shot from under Fury's hood, presumably from the man's mouth.

"Seems like I have the better bargain!" Fury cried out, a more gravelly aspect to his voice, a foreign accent almost appearing as he lunged at Natsu, moving as fast as lightning, as he followed up, his fist covered in lightning as they broke out actual spells... Finally.

" _Storm Dragon's Disabling Claw!"_ Fury cried out, the lightning solidifying and growing into three, pointed claws as he took a swipe at Natsu who simply blocked the attack with the claws on his forearms, a little surprised at how unique of an attribute Fury had. He had simply assumed it was a lightning lacrima, similar to what Laxus had, knowing just how hard it was for Ivan to attain it. But a _Storm Dragon_ Lacrima? They were some of the rarest dragons, known to be deadly, fast, and silent. Striking with fury like thunder from Thor's hammer.

"Fire Dragon's Magnesium Striker!" Natsu called out, as he countered Fury's claw, throwing his right knee covered in blinding white fire towards Fury's abdomen, only for his knee to get caught by Fury's forearm, but that did not mean he remained unscathed, the hot flame instantly burning the mercenaries arm, causing him to growl in pain.

" _Storm Dragon's Epicenter!"_ Fury cried out as he pushed Natsu back in a surprising feat of strength, a purplish blue magic circle appearing under the assassin's feet, that glowed yellow before growing across the desert, the clouds and sky turning grey and black as he literally caused a storm... Rain began to fall for the first time in over a century, thunder echoed throughout the open plain as lightning traveled to the ground.

"Well, that's disappointing but smart. Now, you have shadows..." Natsu spoke up, before his form blurred, running towards Fury with a fist encompassed in blindingly white flames, preparing to attack Fury before he had a chance to slip into the shadows, created by the storm clouds above them.

"Fire Dragons Blazing Strike!" Natsu cried out as he jumped into the air, white and Orange flames swirling around his right fist as he fell towards Fury, the light given off removing shadows just as Fury attempted to slip into them, catching him off guard as Natsu's fist smashed into the side of Fury's head, sending the man flying into the ground seven feet away, causing a cloud of dust and wet sand to fly into the air.

Natsu simply stood where Fury had, not even the slightest bit tired, even after attacking Fury within three seconds of the storm having had formed.

 **'Now that's what I'm talking about! What are you doing?! Follow through and finish him!'** END protested angrily from inside Natsu's mindscape watching as Fury lunged out of the cloud of dust, that was even deterred by the rain, a testament to the amount of force Natsu has used to attack him.

" _Shadow Dragon's Crushing Fang!"_ Fury growled as he lunged at Natsu, shadows swirling around his hand, forming a skeletal maw of a dragon, made entirely out of shadows while Natsu lunged with a counter attack.

" _Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"_ Natsu spoke in compliance as he jumped towards Fury, his fist covered in a thick layer of fire as it slammed into the open maw of shadows that clasped around Natsu's fist, only for his shoulder to shake violently as Natsu's fist exploded, and nullifying the Shadow Jaw. Natsu continued to force himself forward, pushing Fury back a bit as his right hand shot towards the ground, spinning his body on his right foot as his left foot swung around, his heel pointing directly at Fury's chin.

"Fire Dragon's Claw," Natsu spoke as his heel slammed into Fury's head, or would have, as a lightning bolt struck from the storm clouds, and with it disappeared Fury, the aftershocks sending arcs of lightning through Natsu's body, as another bolt struck down behind him.

" _Storm Dragon's Deadly Gale!"_ Fury yelled as his left hand shot in for a haymaker, his fist propelled by a deadly stream of air, slamming his hand into the back of Natsu's head before he even had a chance to move, taking the full force as a huge gust of wind flung Natsu into the sky, shocks running through his body as he attempted to regain control of his nervous system.

Fury then sprinted forward, being struck by a bolt of lightning, and reappearing above Natsu just as he reached the apex of his fight, appearing within striking range, the lightning traveling through Natsu into the ground as he began to fall.

" _Storm Dragon's Thunderous Impact!"_ Fury yelled as he twirled mid-air, looking almost like an acrobat or a gymnast as he swung his right foot down into Natsu, his foot arcing in lightning as it rocketed towards the prince, who extended his left hand, releasing a stream of flames from his palm as his body drifted to the side, avoiding Fury's kick and sending the man towards the ground even faster while Natsu moved his left hand around, turning his body over, his back to the sky as he looked down at Fury.

" _Fire Make; Whips_ _!"_ Natsu cried out as long whips of flames appeared in his hands as he continued to roll, the whips wrapping around Fury while Natsu threw his weight into his side, actually negating the effect of gravity as he pulled Fury over his own head before sending him back towards the ground, three times faster than he was flying earlier, the whips remaining to hold Fury tight as he slammed into the ground, Natsu only a second behind the mercenary as his foot slammed into Fury's back, cratering the ground even further beneath them.

But Natsu never saw the huge bolt of lightning, slamming down _through_ him into Fury, the electricity coursing through the prince's nerves, locking his muscles for a single second, as lightning exploded from Fury's prone form, the explosion appearing almost as if Natsu had stepped on a landmine, as he flew backwards.

Fury flipped onto his feet, before lunging after Natsu, moving at the speed of light as he raised both hands in the air, appearing above Natsu, his fingers locked as he prepared to slam Natsu into the ground, his body covered in a slight purple glow.

"Shadow Dragon's Bone Breaker !" Fury growled as he slammed his magic's coated fists onto Natsu's head, forcing Natsu to break the sound barrier as he slammed into the ground, kicking up a tremendous cloud of dust, the ground shattering as Natsu slammed into it, while Fury remained mid-Air, his body still glowing purple as he looked down into the dust, two, glowing purple orbs visible under his hood.

"Plasma Dragon's Bolts!" Fury screamed as a purple magic circle appearing in front of his mouth, before dozens of balls of plasma shot into the ground below him, exploding on contact as they traced after the Fallen Prince, shaking the earth itself for thousands of miles.

"Let's See you survive this! _Plasma Dragon's Secret art; Star Destroyer_!" Fury screamed as his body became brighter and brighter, the aura around him intensifying as he flew down head first into the dust, a huge ball of plasma covering his fist as he punched Natsu, a loud smashing sound echoing around the desert as Natsu was pushed further into the ground, the sheer force of the impact blowing the dust cloud away, revealing Natsu laying inside of a huge crater, looking as if a meteor had struck the ground, his right hand held up, covered in maroon and black flames... With Fury's fist in his palm.

Natsu quickly cut off the magic rushing to his fist, genuinely surprised by just how much magic was in that punch, but what was also surprising was the fact that Fury was almost doing a one-handed plank, his body still remaining in the air above Natsu. But he was also quite glad, it is much better than being practically straddled by his enemy.

"It seems as if you are worthy of your title... To remain unscathed by such an attack that was created to destroy cities, and flatten mountains... Color me impressed." Fury spoke out as he planted his foot just under the prince's crown jewels, kicking himself into the air, and tearing his hand out of Natsu's palm, before gracefully landing on the edge of the crater, looking down into the forty foot deep pit, that was slowly being filled with rain.

"Yeah, well, You don't fight a false king without learning a few new tricks... They are the flames of a HellFire Dragon... A dragon who had the ability to burn away any form of magic... They were considered as one of the deadliest dragons to ever live... Seconded by the Plasma dragon... Something I'm sure you understand," Natsu spoke as he stood up, staring at Fury, who was clenching and unclenching his fists.

"I am well aware of that. It makes me wonder how they died out, along with the other dragons..." Fury commented, a smirk hidden under his hood as he watched Natsu's eyes narrow in anger.

"They were actually hunted down, feared, and envied for their strength. They were already a very minute subspecies, to begin with," Natsu explained, Fury's smirk becoming a smile as he stared down at Natsu, realizing that he may be the first man he would have to go all out with.

"But I do have one question... Out of curiosity, what effect does your plasma drive have on you?" Natsu asked, making Fury roll his eyes, but he understood why.

"It intensifies the strength of my physical, and magical attacks tenfold... While also increasing my speed." Fury explained, making Natsu nod his head in acceptance. It made sense because as far as he remembered, Plasma dragons were rumored to fly as fast as even Sky dragons... But his memory was very cloudy, having had forgotten most of what he was taught by Igneel when he had explained the different dragons Natsu had to look out for.

"Now that class time is over let's get back to it... The final round..." Fury explained making Natsu cock a brow in curiosity.

"Let's be real, if we are to keep holding back, this fight could go on for hours... And I... I honestly don't want to be here that long. One final round, All or nothing..." Fury proposed as he stared down at Natsu, who was undamaged, save for a few burn marks on his scaled armor.

Fury was not too different, but his boot soles were melted and there were a few holes in his clothes from when Natsu threw him into the ground.

"So you want to go all out? We just created a small lake... But you have a point. Fine." Natsu replied as his magic exploded around him, a torrent of orange fire swirling around his body, his body becoming a black silhouette inside the flames, his fingers lengthening and eyes glowing under his bangs as he stared up at Fury...

"Oh ho, what's this now?" Fury spoke up as he watched the fire die down, revealing Natsu in the fabled dragon force, his skin having an underlying scale pattern, that was most prominent on his cheekbones.

"The strongest form a dragon slayer could ever achieve. I assume you are unable to reach the state of dragon force?" Natsu spoke in Fury's ear, making the mercenary's body stiffen before he was struck by lightning, making Natsu wonder if Fury simply placed the spell and was able to summon them on will.

"These are a dragon's scales... I know you have never seen them before, but I am sure you know what this means..." Natsu explained, almost appearing to teleport ten feet behind Fury as his magic exploded around him, his body being encompassed by purple, and navy blue magic, making Natsu smirk as he stared at Fury.

"Plasma Storm Dragon Mode!" Fury cried out as his magic exploded around him, the ground shattering and cracking under him as the storm above them began to grow, the rain beginning to fall harder and thunder began to crackle, the lightning no longer striking upon Fury's command, but the storm was growing and worsening... Winds were beginning to pick up, and the crater began to fill up even faster.

"Now I'm excited... Combining an unstable element like Plasma... With the ability to control storms..." Natsu commented fire beginning to coil around his fists as he stared at Fury, genuinely curious as to how the two elements would interact with eachother.

"If you think having Dragon scales will scare me... It won't. I was designed, trained and created to slay dragons, magic aside... You are simply a stepping stone for me to kill Acnologia..." Fury explained, his voice trembling as his body began to glow, blue lights shining through his hood as he stared at Natsu.

 **Juvia's Pov**

The bluenette turned to the sky, ignoring Cobra and Cubelios for a second as she stared at the growing storm clouds over the desert, her worry for Natsu only growing greater as she watched thunder crackle and the winds grow... it isn't easy to create a storm as large as that without feeling any backlash.

'Please Natsu, please be alright,' the bluenette thought as she stared up at a smirking Cobra, who was flying around almost victoriously in the sky, having had shrugged off and countered every attack they had thrown at him so far.

* * *

A/N Happy BDay to my mom, who turned 62!


	56. Chapter 56

And Onto the Story!

 **Natsu's PoV**

" _Plasma Storm Dragon's Knuckle Dusters!"_ Fury screamed as he lunged at Natsu, plasma surrounding his body as lightning continued to arc off his jacket, a bluish, purple glow surrounding his fists with small little yellow bursts of lights appearing inside as his fist slammed into Natsu's fiery palm. Every strike Fury threw, every kick and jab was accompanied by a strike of lightning, as the storm continued to grow, the sand beneath their feet now steaming glass, from the heat permeating Natsu's body.

 **'Well, he definitely packs a punch,'** END commented as he watched Natsu block a series of jabs and crosses, their arms appearing to blur as every other punch was accompanied by a deadly strike of lightning. But Natsu could clearly see through Fury's blinding barrage of attacks, every punch appearing to be slow, his dragon eyes seeing through even the lightning as he searched for an opening.

And it took a minute, but he found one, as Fury threw a jab at his chest, Natsu allowed the punch to connect, feeling the mercenaries fist on his bare, enhanced skin, the punch having had broken through his armor, but it gave him a chance to grab fury's wrist, twisting his shoulders and pulling the man forward, his strength outpowering Fury and knocking him off balance.

" _Fire Dragon's Crushing Horn!"_ Natsu spoke as he slammed his head into Fury's, a horn similar to that of a rhinoceros appearing on his head, constructed out of the solid white fire as it smashed into the mercenary's hooded head, who growled in pain as winds begun to pick up around the area, before they were both struck by a massive lightning bolt.

'Interesting, the storm progressively gets worse the angrier he gets,' Natsu commented internally as he watched Fury fall backward, his ankles and lower shin being enveloped in purplish blue magic, that formed a thin dark tail with two fins, sparkling with electricity.

" _Plasma Storm Dragon's Tail Whip!"_ Fury growled as his palms touched the now, glowing molten sand beneath their feet, his leather gloves beginning char and smoke as Natsu stepped back, just barely missing the Prince's chin, before Fury lifted his right hand off the ground, his shoulder dipping towards the ground before twisting himself, moving his body like a break dancer as he whipped his ankles around, forcing Natsu to step back and bring his arms up to block Fury's attack.

Natsu's arms flared with white-hot fire the instant Fury's attack never backed off, the clashing of strong magic stirring the wet winds even further before Natsu pushed himself forward, throwing Fury back onto his feet, both of them bringing their hands to their faces as they prepared to square off.

 _"Fire Dragon's-" "Plasma Storm Dragon's-" "ROAR!"_ They both chanted as huge magic seals appeared in front of their faces before the ground beneath their feet shattered and exploded into dust, as deadly white flames clashed with storming plasma, a blinding light flashing as their unstable magic's exploded. Both Fury and Natsu were thrown back, their closer proximity mixed with the insane amounts of magic clashing creating a mini explosion.

Natsu's heels dug a three-foot trench in the burning sand, his increased strength from Dragon Force giving him enough strength to withstand such an explosion, while Fury fell into a backflip, before stabbing his glove into the ground, his feet following as he slowed his body down.

But Natsu refused to give Fire even a second of respite, immediately sprinting towards the mercenary, his limbs encased in his deadly white flames and creating a fiery blur as he struck.

 _"Fire Dragon's jaw!_ Natsu cried out as he jumped into the air, bringing his hands together in a jackhammer as he slammed them upon Fury, who had just barely been able to muster a defense, his arms crossed over his head as Natsu's hands onto his crossed arms.

Fury could do nothing to defend from the attack as an explosion of flames engulfed their bodies, scorching and melting the sand beneath their feet into liquidy, burnt glass.

 **I am so sorry I never got to post this, I got into a car accident, and have had a lot less time that I wanted to.**


End file.
